Surfer Escapes Death After Shark Bit Him and Dragged Him Underwater: ‘I Got Off Lightly’

Surfer Alejo Santiñaque escaped from the jaws of death in Australia by fighting back against a shark that sank its teeth into his foot and pulled him beneath the water.

Uruguayan national Alejo, who’s lived Down Under for nearly two years, revealed on Facebook he was sitting on his board waiting for a wave at Red Cliff Beach when the ferocious fish grabbed him.

“I suddenly felt a hard hit and a strong pull on my foot,” the 20-year-old recalls. “A shark had bitten me. Everything happened incredibly fast — I don’t think more than two seconds passed between the bite and my reaction.”

Alejo says once he was dragged into the sea, “My immediate response was to kick it as hard as I could to make it let go.”

The brave wave-rider’s bid was a success, and he says, “I swam as fast as I could towards my board and the shore, which luckily were in the same direction. Those moments were extremely intense because I had no idea if the shark would come back, so my only focus was getting out of the water.”

He calls the run-in “a very intense situation with a lot of adrenaline,” but shares that he knew “keeping a clear head was crucial.”

Alejo explains, “From the moment I was bitten until I reached the beach, I focused on what I needed to do and avoided panicking.”

Friends at the shore helped apply a tourniquet. Alejo was brought to a hospital via ambulance and treated for the bite. He says the critter’s teeth pierced muscle and skin, rupturing one tendon and injuring others.

Knowing the damage sharks can do, he says, “I know I got off lightly.”

But Alejo doesn’t blame the animal.

“The ocean is its home, and we are the ones entering its environment,” he says. “Sharks are not villains or monsters. They are wild animals and an essential part of the marine ecosystem. What happened was a very unfortunate accident, but it doesn’t change the love and respect I have for the ocean.”