NSW Surfer Jack Frost’s astonishing tale of survival after Margaret River WA attack by 3.5-metre great white shark

One surfer recalled the harrowing moment when he jumped on the back of a 3.5m great white shark in a desperate attempt to save his life before paddling 600m to shore.

Surfer Jack Frost was attacked by a huge shark at Gnarabup Beach in the Margaret River region of Western Australia last week.

His remarkable story of survival made international headlines after his interaction with the thrashing shark in the water was caught on camera.

The woodpecker was hailed for his quick thinking and for keeping his cool as he faced off against the ocean predator while his leg bled.

The 24-year-old said he “ended up turning on his back” to hopefully scare off the shark after it appeared below him.

Mr. Frost was surfing the popular Margaret River break called ‘Boat Ramps’ at 8:45am on July 24 when the great white shark bit his leg.

“He hit me so hard that he knocked me off the board and I did a backflip,” the surfer recalled (file image).

“He just came right under me…he hit me so hard he knocked me off the board and I did a backflip,” the surfer told the Augusta Margaret River Times.

He then detailed how he wrestled with the massive beast as blood from his leg spilled into the water.

“I’m thinking, if I don’t show that I’m a contender, he’s going to get me again,” Frost said.

The shark tore into her green surfboard during the encounter and struck her, leaving distinct tooth marks on her.

He considered tearing off her nose, but thought it best to keep his hand well away from ‘that mouth’.

“I ended up getting up on his back and hitting him on the back of the head,” he said.

but he said wa today it didn’t make the shark flinch so it began to bash it on the side towards the gills before the fish “shot into the depths”.

He knew then that he needed to go straight to the shore telling himself ‘you’re going to be okay, you’re going to survive’.

Frost paddled 600 meters back to shore on the pegboard despite losing “a lot of blood” and not knowing if the shark was chasing him.

He kept his cool by controlling his breathing that he had acquired from intensive sports such as mountain biking and scuba diving.

The young man said he had to keep “quite calm” in his diving activities, so he instinctively took a deep breath as he paddled.

When he got closer to shore, he used a leg rope from his board as a tourniquet for his injured leg. Fortunately, she ended up with no nerve or tendon damage.

Frost said he was grateful for all the immediate support he received when he made it ashore, including a local woman who drove him to the hospital in her car.

A bather had offered to call an ambulance for him, but Frost refused, saying he had no money to pay for it.

An off-duty nurse provided first aid and he was taken to Margaret River Hospital in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.

Doctors have told him that he will recover from the shark bite, but said he will have to wait several months before getting back on the surfboard.

Mr. Frost desperately paddled back to shore not knowing if the shark was following him.

The surfer’s face against the great white shark was caught on camera (pictured)

The shark tore into Mr. Frost’s green surfboard and hit it, leaving distinct tooth marks on it.

A picture of him sitting in his hospital bed with a bandaged leg that required 18 stitches showed him smiling and giving a thumbs up.

Frost said that he would not let the near-death experience scare him and that he planned to travel north with his partner Lolly Mann.

Ms Mann, who is a schoolteacher in Sydney, said her boyfriend, who is a very calm and strong person, was what saved him from the shark.

She said that it’s not every day that you can save yourself.