Despite a horrifying ordeal in which he came close to losing his right arm, surfing fanatic Shannon Ainslie says the experience left him feeling ‘a profound sense of peace, joy, hope, and a renewed purpose in life’
A man who was attacked by two great white sharks when he was still in his teens says that the experienced changed his life for the better. Shannon Ainslie was already a keen surfer at 15 and he says he and his brothers spent “most of our time in the ocean.”
Shannon said the morning of the attack was just another quiet day at the “surfer’s paradise” of Nahoon Reef in East London, South Africa.
He recalled: “Oddly, I remember the smell of sardines in the air. Other surfers began paddling back to shore, but I stayed in the lineup, alone and unaware of the danger closing in on me.
“Suddenly, bam! I got struck by a four-metre great white shark from the left. It flipped me around and dragged me underwater with it. While that was happening, another shark hit my right side, but missed me because the first shark got me first. It all happened so quickly – I thought I was dreaming.”
Shannon felt strangely calm as the massive ocean predator bit down on his arm and dragged him underwater. He continued: “When I was finally able to catch a breath of air, I looked at my hand and saw my fingers hanging off, my pinkie and ring fingers barely attached by the skin. There was a big bite on my hand, and blood was just rushing out.”
Despite being grievously injured, Shannon started paddling back towards the shore. “I was 100 metres out at sea, with two sharks gunning after me. That’s when the fear set in,” he added.
“I had heard the stories: sharks going back for a second and third time to finish a surfer off. I was shaking, crying, and panicking. It was the scariest moment and the worst feeling ever, knowing that you were going to get eaten.”
Luck was on Shannon’s side that day, though, and a huge wave pushed him back towards the shore. Despite his severe injuries, Shannon says the experience was hugely positive. “Before the attack, I was an angry, depressed kid struggling with low self-esteem, even to the point of considering suicide,” he added.
“But during the attack, I prayed for safety in the water and felt that Jesus was protecting me. Later, in the hospital, I prayed again – this time asking Jesus to help me overcome my ‘internal shark attacks’ like anger, depression, low self-esteem, and suicidal thoughts.
“He did, and from that day forward, I experienced a profound sense of peace, joy, hope, and a renewed purpose in life. That was the most powerful healing I’ve ever experienced.”
Incredibly, he was surfing again just six weeks after the attack. These days he lives in Norway, where encounters with great whites are a lot less likely. He joked: “Maybe it was a calculated move to somewhere less sharky. But even in the Arctic, I haven’t left the waves behind.
“I continue to surf and have made a career out of coaching others in the sport. Beyond coaching, I’m also deeply committed to raising awareness about shark conservation. On my Instagram and TikTok channels, I regularly talk about the critical role sharks play in our oceans. These incredible creatures are often misunderstood, but they’re truly beautiful animals that deserve our respect and protection.”
