“It’s only a flesh wound!”
Rich Thomson fought with a “small shark” at Bantham after it bit him on the thigh.
“I turned round and saw this little shark was on my thigh and wriggling its head side to side
“I hit it on the head and it swam off.
“My hand was cut to pieces. I had a quite a sizeable bruise about three inches across,”
He told the BBC the shark was about 1m (3ft) long
Typically he got no sympathy from his missus after coming home late from the surf.
“I went home and told my wife I was late because I had been bitten by a shark,” he said.
“She said ‘I’ve heard that one before.”
And no sympathy from the kids he teaches at Kingsbridge Community College who now call him him “Sharkbait”.
“It won’t stop me going back in the water and it shouldn’t stop anyone, I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Experts think it was a baby smooth hound and may have been confused by the murky river run off… A big wave rider may or may not have blamed a women on her period in Derriford.
Obviously it is shark story season, but given the amount of grief Rich has had from his missus and pupils we are giving him the benefit!
Get well soon Rich! We think you are officially the first surfer to be attacked by a shark in the UK!
Maybe set some extra homework for those pesky kids though, huh?
