{"id":43603,"date":"2025-08-04T02:40:09","date_gmt":"2025-08-04T02:40:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/43603\/"},"modified":"2025-08-04T02:40:09","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T02:40:09","slug":"man-who-survived-shark-attack-reveals-life-saving-advice","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/43603\/","title":{"rendered":"Man Who Survived Shark Attack Reveals Life-Saving Advice"},"content":{"rendered":"

Paul de Gelder, a former navy diver, shares the vital lessons learned from his near-fatal shark attack in Sydney Harbour in 2009. In an interview for Discovery\u2019s Shark Week 2025, he offers critical insights on surviving shark encounters and the mistakes that can lead to fatal outcomes. De Gelder\u2019s experience highlights the importance of preparation and knowledge when faced with such a dangerous situation. According to a report from LadBible<\/a>, his story serves as a powerful reminder of the dangers posed by sharks and the life-saving strategies one should employ in such life-threatening circumstances.<\/p>\n

The One Thing You Should Never Do<\/p>\n

Paul de Gelder reveals the most dangerous mistake you can make when encountering a shark: putting your limbs in the water. In a demonstration, he shows how dropping his prosthetic leg was quickly torn apart by circling sharks<\/a>. <\/p>\n

\"Paul Paul de Gelder Credit: shutterstock<\/p>\n

The synthetic blood convinced the sharks to spare him, but this mistake could have been fatal. This incident underscores the importance of being extremely cautious about what you expose in the water.<\/p>\n

Essential Survival Tips<\/p>\n

De Gelder shares other life-saving advice, including always carrying a tourniquet to prevent bleeding out in case of limb loss. He also cautions against wearing reflective jewelry that could mimic fish scales and attract sharks. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to make yourself an easy target,\u201d he says, stressing the need to avoid any shiny objects in the water. These precautions could significantly improve your chances of survival.<\/p>\n

How to React During a Shark Attack<\/p>\n

During an attack, de Gelder stresses the importance of staying calm, even though it goes against natural instincts. <\/p>\n

\u201cI know it goes against all natural instincts of preservation, not to panic, but that\u2019s the most important thing you can do,\u201d he explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou have to understand these sharks don\u2019t really know what you are, you\u2019re almost the same size as them, and they don\u2019t want to fight.\u201d<\/p>\n

De Gelder also advises standing your ground and staring the shark down. <\/p>\n

\u201cThey know when you\u2019re watching, they don\u2019t want to attack you when you\u2019re watching \u2013 they want an easy target. That\u2019s why the tiger sharks always sneak up on us from behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

By maintaining eye contact, you show the shark you\u2019re not an easy prey, which might make it hesitate in its approach.<\/p>\n

If the shark gets too close, de Gelder suggests pushing\u2014rather than punching\u2014the shark in the nose to force it away from you. This method is more effective in deterring the animal and increasing your chances of survival.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Paul de Gelder, a former navy diver, shares the vital lessons learned from his near-fatal shark attack in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":43604,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[49,48,66,323],"class_list":{"0":"post-43603","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-wildlife"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43603","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43603"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43603\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43604"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43603"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43603"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43603"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}