Man escapes from jaws of great white shark in Cape Town

A man is lucky to be alive after literally escaping from the jaws of a great white shark in Cape Town, South Africa.

Backpacker tour operator Mathieu Dasnois, 29, was out on a sightseeing trip with clients on a private boat on Saturday near Port St Johns in the Eastern Cape.

An avid spear fisherman, he asked the skipper, Rob Nettleton, if he could take a quick dip in the water to test his new diving equipment.

He then jumped into four-metre-deep water at Sugarloaf Rock around 13.30 and the boat moved about 20 metres away.

Craig Lambinon from the National Sea Rescue Institute (NRSI) told News24: "Mathieu dived, surfaced and dived a second time when the dorsal fin of a 3.5m to 4m white shark was seen approaching.

"The shark grabbed Mathieu's hand which Mathieu used to fend off the shark and it appeared that the shark went past Mathieu."

The boat went to his aid straight away but upon reaching him, the shark breached from underneath and pulled him away from the boat with Dasnois' foot in his mouth.

Dasnois managed to get his foot free and when the shark tried to breach again in another bid to attack, the boat got in its way.

Two crew members on the boat were NRSI volunteers and administered emergency medical treatment before Danseuse was rushed to hospital.

According to news.iafrica.com, Dasnois took to Facebook to update friends on his condition, writing:

"So before rumours start seeping too much: I am a shark attack survivor. I squared up with a 4m great white. Not my most successful fight, but I'm essentially fine. Will regain full use of my entire body. Got lucky and had great help. Except for my fin, the shark took my brand new fin. Grrrr.

"Meh. The sea giveth and the sea taketh away. But that guy really wanted me. Must have been something I ate. I should slow down on the crayfish."

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