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Fry, a surfing beginner, was surfing with three doctor friends when he was attacked.

“I was out surfing and I got this massive thud on my right-hand side; it completely blindsided me,” Fry said.

“I thought it was a friend goofing around. I turned and I saw this shark come out of the water and breach its head,” he said.

“So I just punched it in the face with my left hand and then managed to scramble back on my board, shout at me friends and luckily a wave came, so I just sort of surfed the wave in,” he added.

All I'm thinking was: 'I'm about to die. I'm literally about to die'

Fray said he wasn’t conscious of his injured and bleeding arm until he reached the shore.

“I didn’t really notice it at the time because when you’re surfing, all I’m thinking was: ‘I’m about to die. I’m literally about to die,”‘ Fry said.

“So I thought … ‘get in as fast as possible, ride the wave for as long as you can and then just start paddling for your life,”‘ he added.

Fry’s friends drove him to Gosford Hospital, where they all worked, rather than waiting for an ambulance. The beach was closed for 24 hours.

Fry said he could not return to the ocean for a week due to his injuries, but “after then, I’ll be racing to get back in.”