South African surfer attacked by two great white sharks paddled to safety with one hand: ‘Thought I was going to die’
A South African surfer, Shannon Ainslie, survived a shark attack while surfing at Nahoon Reef. He managed to paddle to safety using one hand after sustaining severe injuries to his fingers and wrist. Despite the traumatic experience, Ainslie returned to surfing six weeks later and now works as a surf coach.
- ▪Shannon Ainslie was attacked by two great white sharks while surfing in East London, South Africa.
- ▪He sustained severe injuries, including two fingers nearly severed, and required 30 stitches.
- ▪Ainslie paddled to safety using a zig-zag technique to deter the sharks, despite being 100 meters from shore.
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Lifestyle South African surfer attacked by two great white sharks paddled to safety with one hand: ‘Thought I was going to die’ By Lula White, SWNS Published May 19, 2026, 10:12 a.m. ET See more of our coverage in your search results. Add The New York Post on Google A surfer who was attacked by two great white sharks used a zig-zag paddle to get to safety — with just one hand. Shannon Ainslie, 41, was surfing in Nahoon Reef in East London, South Africa, when the sharks grabbed his board and pulled him underwater. One bit the top of his surfboard and caught Shannon’s hand — chomping at two of his fingers and leaving them “hanging off.” 13 A surfer who was attacked by two great white sharks used a zig-zag paddle to get to safety — with just one hand.
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