A teenager who almost lost his arm after he was attacked by a two-metre reef shark off the Arnhem Land coast says he was just in "the wrong place at the wrong time", and won't be deterred from getting back in the water.
WARNING: This story contains a graphic image.
Sean Whitcombe, 17, was spearfishing off Bromby Eyelet near Nhulunbuy when he said he was "mobbed" by seven sharks, with one ultimately latching onto his arm.
His reaction was to eye-gouge it and kick himself to the surface.
It was only then that he was able to yell out for help from friends in a boat nearby.
At the time, he didn't know it would be two hours before he was able to get medical attention.
"I was thinking I was going to die because I thought I was going to lose my arm, just everything was going through my mind at once," he said.
"The bite did hurt, but it got some of my nerves and stuff so it was pretty numb."
Mr Whitcombe has not left hospital since the attack three weeks ago.
He has undergone five surgeries and is preparing for his sixth in just two days — but it was a crucial initial surgery that saved him from having his arm amputated.
"When I got to Darwin on a CareFlight [helicopter] they went through some paperwork and there was a form saying that I might have to be amputated, but I was asleep," he said.
"When I woke up they said they saved my arm.
"They took a vein graft out of my leg and got the circulation back".
'I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time'
Mr Whitcombe moved from Darwin to Nhulunbuy two years ago and has recently returned to spearfishing.
He believes that he was attacked because he pulled a mackerel too close to his body while the sharks were in a frenzy around him.
It is common practice for spearfishermen to shoot their catch, which does not kill it immediately, before bringing in the fish and using a knife to immobilise it.
This technique is used to stop the fish sending distress signals which can cause sharks to frenzy.
And the larger the fish, the greater the distress signal.
When asked about his desire to keep fishing, Mr Whitcombe is cheery — as is his personality and attitude to his injury.
"Yeah, of course... I'll try my hardest," he said.
"I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time doing the wrong stuff".
