'The shark nearly took my leg off in a split second': British holidaymaker jumps into sea in Australia to drag thrashing beast away from children by its tail

Briitish man Paul Marshallsea, 62, saves shark and nearby toddlers



Australian TV crew capture the act of heroism by the UK grandfather

A British holidaymaker grabbed a six-foot shark by its tail and dragged it away from a group of toddlers as they played in shallow water off the coast of Australia.

Paul Marshallsea, 62, was praised by the coastguard for his bravery after he rushed from a beach-side barbecue to keep the children safe.



The drama unfolded as the father-of-three was cooking for his wife Wendy, 56, daughter Rachel, 21, and friends on Bulcock Beach on Queensland's sunshine coast when they heard screams of 'shark'.

He raced down to the beach's shoreline to find a two-meter Dusky Whaler shark thrashing in the shallows, spreading panic among the dozens of youngsters paddling in the water.



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Terrible beauty: The striking Dusky Whaler Shark before Mr Marshall seized it by the tail and dragged it from the reach of children Paul Marshallsea with his wife Wendy (right) and daughter Rachel (left) on holiday in Australia With no thought for his own safety, Mr Marshallsea grabbed the shark by the tail, narrowly escaping its gnashing jaws, and and dragged it out to deeper water.

The scene was captured by a local television crew filming on the beach nearby. RELATED ARTICLES Previous

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Next How shark skin makes aeroplanes go faster: WHAT HAS NATURE... Show me your 300 pearly whites: Diver gets up close and... Share this article Share Mr Marshallsea said: ‘Where this shark actually came ashore, it’s shallow for about five or six yards, and a lot of babies and toddlers splash about there. It could have been very nasty. ‘My instincts took over and I just grabbed the shark by the tail.’ Brave: With no thought for his own safety, Mr Marshallsea grabbed the shark by the tail, narrowly escaping its gnashing jaws, and and dragged it out to deeper water Incredible: The moment Mr Marshallsea made dangerous contact with the shark was captured by an Australian TV crew filming in the area

Close miss: He narrowly missed being bitten as the shark suddenly lunged at his leg

Gentle touch: After a tussle, Mr Marshallsea finally managed to drag the Dusky Whaler out to deeper waters where it could swim freely

Mr Marshallsea, from South Wales, said he was lucky to escape the encounter without injury. ‘He turned on me and just missed me with a bite,’ he revealed. ‘The shark nearly took my leg off in a split second, it was that quick.’

DUSKY WHALERS: THE FACTS

The Dusky Whaler is found in warm and tropical waters all over the world and can grow to more than four metres long. Because of their low reproductive rate they are one of the most endangered species of shark in the world, exacerbated by their popularity on tables of speciality fish restaurants across the world.

Their fins are highly sought after and can be used in shark fin soup, as well as for its meat, skin, and liver oil.

Dusky Whalers are one of the slowest-growing and latest-maturing sharks, not reaching adulthood until around 20 years of age. They are considered dangerous because of their size although very few incidents of attacks on humans have been recorded.

He added that he acted to save not only the playing children, but also the shark itself.

‘I know it was dangerous but it almost looked beautiful – you have got to have respect for a beautiful animal. People might say it was a stupid thing to do, but when you see a beautiful beast struggling to survive up close and personal you somehow tend to respect it and want to help it.

‘I got hold of his tail and pulled with all my might to get the shark back into deep enough water, so that the poor thing could survive.

‘Her two-feet-long babies were swimming through my legs. They must have got lost and marooned by the shallow sand-banks and got beached.’

An Australian coastguard spokesman said: 'We don't recommend manhandling sharks but this gentleman did a great job.'



The incident was caught on camera by a TV crew that happened to be filming at the popular tourist spot, Bulcock Beach, on Australia’s Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

The Dusky Whaler is found in warm and tropical waters all over the world and can grow to more than four metres long.

Because of their low reproductive rate they are one of the most endangered species of shark in the world, exacerbated by their popularity on tables of speciality fish restaurants across the world.



Fin: The beach was teeming with holidaymakers when the shark appeared in the waters of the beach

Explanation: Officials say the shark may have entered shallow waters due to sickness

Drama: The drama unfolded as the father-of-three was cooking for his wife Wendy, 56, daughter Rachel, 21, and friends on Bulcock Beach on Queensland's sunshine coast when they heard screams of 'shark'

Their fins are highly sought after and can be used in shark fin soup, as well as for its meat, skin, and liver oil.



Dusky Whalers are one of the slowest-growing and latest-maturing sharks, not reaching adulthood until around 20 years of age.

They are considered dangerous because of their size although very few incidents of attacks on humans have been recorded.