Pensioner fights off shark

Dr Shadforth's attacker may have been a sandbar shark

A retired British GP who survived a shark attack has told how he fought off the animal with his bare feet.

Colin Shadforth, from Market Rasen in Lincolnshire, suffered at least 30 bite wounds and needed more than 100 stitches. The 73-year-old is recovering in a Florida hospital.

I gave one heck of a kick, and tried to get out of the water

Dr Shadforth

"I was doing my usual morning swim, enjoying it, and then something grabbed me by the right leg, and the pain was something out of this world," he said.

"It clamped down on me and wouldn't let go.

"I gave one heck of a kick, and tried to get out of the water.

"I was kicking and kicking. I gave one last big kick with all my might and it worked. I moved towards the shore and yelled for help."

Dr Shadforth: Recovering in hospital

Dr Shadforth was swimming in shallow water at the Bonita Springs resort in Florida when the attack happened.

His friends Fritz and Rosemarie Hofmann heard his cries from help and dragged him from the water.

Mr Hofmann said: "I thought he wanted to show me something when he shouted to us.

"He did - the lacerations and puncture wounds on his leg.

"He was losing a lot of blood and he'd gone very white. But because he's a doctor, he knew exactly what to do."

Dr Shadforth, who visits Florida on holiday with his wife Margaret every year, said he had put his thumbs over his wounds to try to stop his arteries spurting blood.

He then told Mrs Hofmann to gather towels from a nearby apartment block and use them to staunch the blood.

He asked another holidaymaker to telephone for an ambulance, and he was taken to the Lee Memorial Hospital for treatment.

'Not intended target'

Experts say the five-foot shark that attacked Dr Shadforth may have been a sandbar shark.

Other possibilities are that it was a small sharpnose or blacktip shark.

George Burgess, director of the International Shark Attack file, said he did not think Dr Shadforth had been the intended target.

"More than likely it was going after the splashing that it thought was from a normal prey item, grabbed on, and let go," he said.

"It decided: 'That's not what I'm after' and was gone."