Man Bitten Twice by Shark While Surfing Manages to Drive Himself to the Hospital
A 57-year-old surfer and local tour guide, Lee Berryman, was attacked by a bronze whaler shark while surfing at “The Sewer” in D’Estrees Bay, Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The shark bit his left thigh, and after a struggle including punches to the shark, it briefly released him to chase a nearby seal. However, the seal approached Berryman for protection, and the shark attacked again, causing multiple bite marks. Despite injuries that bled through his wetsuit, Berryman managed to paddle back to shore and personally drove to the hospital, where he received 50 stitches. A witness recorded the attack, showing the intense encounter. Berryman expressed gratitude for his medical treatment and credited his late father’s spirit for helping him survive. The bronze whaler shark, known to grow up to nearly 10 feet long, has a history of biting humans, especially spear fishermen.
A man drove himself to the hospital after a shark attacked him off Kangaroo Island in South Australia on Tuesday afternoon.
Lee Berryman was surfing a spot called “The Sewer” in D’Estrees Bay when a bronze whaler shark latched onto his left thigh, according to news.com.au.
“I looked behind me and there he was, head out of the water looking right at me and that’s when I just yelled and I started punching him,” the 57-year-old tour guide said.
Berryman was relieved when the shark let him go for the nearby seal it was chasing.
But his relief didn’t last long.
“That seal actually came to me and started using me as a safety device that’s when I felt the shark again,” he said.
Once more, Berryman struggled to free himself from the shark’s jaws.
“He actually had three chomps, three different lines of bites, slowly working his way to my arse,” he said.
Then it let go.
But the real fight had just begun.
An experienced surfer has told 7NEWS of the terrifying moment he fought off a shark after coming face-to-face with the predator off Kangaroo Island. 57-year-old local tour guide Lee Berryman said he felt something “chomping” on his leg at D’Estrees Bay, sustaining multiple deep… pic.twitter.com/K20ylh6KNG
— 7NEWS Adelaide (@7NewsAdelaide) October 8, 2025
“I wasn’t pouring out blood… but it was coming through the holes in my wetsuit,” Berryman said.
It took him a few minutes to paddle back to the rocky shore as the shark continually drew near.
“This could be the end, because I had to paddle to the rocks,” he said.
Once he left the water, he drove himself to the hospital, where he received 50 stitches.
Meanwhile, a witness had captured the shark attack on camera.
Footage showed Berryman paddling back to shore moments before the water turned white with violent commotion.
WARNING: The following video contains images that some may find disturbing.
Footage has emerged of the moment a surfer was attacked at D’Estrees Bay in Kangaroo Island yesterday.
The man, aged in his 50s, was bitten twice on the leg in an area known as ‘The Sewer’. No calls were made to emergency services and he reportedly made his own way to hospital… pic.twitter.com/cIt7Fs0BYj
— 10 News Adelaide (@10NewsAdl) October 7, 2025
Berryman was thankful for the medical care he received, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
But he also thanked his dad.
“My dad’s ashes are up on the hill in a pyramid of rocks… maybe that was him helping me out,” he said.
The bronze whaler shark, also called the copper shark, has been known to bite humans — especially spear fishermen, according to the Shark Research Institute.
A mature male can grow nearly 8 feet long, while a female copper shark can grow nearly 10 feet in length.
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