A New Zealand man has survived a shark attack after fighting it off with his knife, stitching up his own wound on shore, and then heading to the local pub for a beer before heading to hospital.

James Grant, 24, was standing in around 2m of murky water and spearfishing with friends near Colac Bay, South Island on Saturday when he was attacked by a sevengill shark. He initially thought the tug on his leg was a friend playing a joke on him, but was surprised when he saw the shark attached to his leg, telling radio New Zealand:

“I looked behind to see who it was and got a bit of a shock”

He said he believed the shark to be about 20cm across the jaw, but unphased by the situation andalready having a knife in his hand he began to stab the shark to try and break himself free.

The shark finally released its grasp after being nicked a few times by Grant’s knife, and the junior doctor quickly made his way onto the rocks on shore and removed his wetsuit to check the damage. He saw bites up to 5cm long, and managed to stitch himself up using a first aid kit he kept in his vehicle for pig hunts.

However, before taking himself to hospital for a full check up he stopped in the local pub, the Colac Bay tavern, for a pint and to tell the story.