The reluctant hero who saved Ms Frankcom's
life.
Elyse Frankcom, left, with
her sister Samantha, managed to punch her attacker on the
nose.
A SNORKELLER has been
hailed a hero after he pulled the tail of a great white shark that
was attacking a young woman. <!--
google_ad_section_end(name=story_introduction) --><!-- //
.story-intro --><!-- google_ad_section_start(name=story_body,
weight=high) -->
"If I get attacked or die, at least I die happy and doin the
thing I love," the 20-year-old diving guide wrote on her Facebook
wall recently.
Elyse Frankcom was saved from the jaws of a three metre shark by
a man on the dive who grabbed the shark by the tail as it attacked
her in waters about 50km south of Perth on Saturday.
Skipper of Fremantle Sea Rescue Frank Pisani said as the shark
bit Ms Frankcom, it brushed past a "fairly large" man on the tour
who grabbed it by the tail.
"She started to sink to the bottom but he grabbed hold of her
and brought her to the surface and got her back on board the boat"
Mr Pisani told reporters at the scene.
He said if it wasn't for the efforts of the un-named man, Ms
Frankcom could have been killed.
Ms Frankcom, who is deeply passionate about dolphins, declared
on Facebook earlier this month that she "wouldn't give in my job
for the world".
In another posting Ms Frankcom said she was aware of the risk
sharks posed but wasn't worried about an attack.
"Hasn't stopped hearing bout these 3 great whites ... if I get
attacked or die, at least I die happy and doin the thing I love,"
she wrote.
"Time 2 use our shark shields soon maybe."
Ms Frankcom was reportedly wearing a shark shield at the time,
which sends out electronic impulses to deter the creatures.
She had been guiding a group of people on a swim with dolphins
diving tour near the Garden Island Naval Base, when the shark
struck.
It is still unclear what type of shark bit her on the thigh and
buttocks, however according to reports it was a three-metre great
white.
Ms Frankcom was in a stable condition at Royal Perth Hospital on
Sunday after surgery.
Department of Fisheries spokesman Tony Cappelluti said the 3m shark
that bit Ms Frankcom was reportedly a great white or a whaler
shark, but he was yet to confirm the species.
Mr Cappelluti said a surf life saving helicopter that swept the
area after the attack would return on Sunday, but the shark could
be long gone.
"Great whites are known to travel a couple of kilometres an
hour," he said. "It could be 60 to 70 kilometres away."
The spot where Ms Frankcom was attacked, was a gathering area
for pink snapper and a possible feeding place for sharks, Mr
Cappelluti said.
"It was a random attack," he said. "Maybe it was protecting its
area or got spooked," he said on Sunday.
Rockingham Wild Encounters operator Terry Howson witnessed the
attack.
"We're still sort of coming to grips with what has happened, but
it looks like they have been swimming in quite shallow water, about
seven metres of water, they had two dolphins right by [her] side,
and we believe that the shark has come in from the bottom," he told
the ABC.
The site of the attack is just kilometres from where 51-year-old
Brian Guest was taken by a large great white when he was diving in
December 2008.
In August this year, Busselton man Nick Edwards, 31, was killed
by a shark when he was surfing at Gracetown beach, south of
Perth.
