34-year-old Sydney mom fought back with a 4m great white and survived the near-fatal attack by punching it back-to-back. Here's what happened!
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Add BollywoodShaadis on Google34-year-old Leah Stewart fought back with a shark after she was fatally attacked at Coogee Beach in June, 2026. It was last month that a 31-year-old Brittany Clark was attacked by an alligator and died. The news went viral on social media, sparking grief. And now, a report about a shark attack surfaced, and this time, it's not another story of the victim's tragic death but how she survived while fighting back against the 4m great white.
The incident took place two months ago and left the victim, Leah Stewart, with massive injuries. Even though Leah felt that she was about to die, she fought her way back, thinking her daughter would be left alone, and with this in her mind and heart, Leah fought even though the shark bit her hand and thigh.
Speaking to Nine Network's 60 Minutes, Leah Stewart revealed that she was finishing her Saturday swim when she heard a shrill scream from a girl from the shore and sensed the 'danger' behind her. Leah eventually realised that it was not a dolphin, but something massive. According to her, she and the shark were 'face-to-face,' and the shark was getting closer. Describing the same, Leah said, 'It was horrific, with black little beady eyes, and its teeth and its mouth were massive'.
According to Leah, at that panicked moment, she tried to stay calm and immediately thought of doing a left hook with her left hand, as she is right-handed. No sooner had she thrown a punch than the shark instantly grabbed her left hand and almost ripped it off. She was left with extreme blood loss and severe injuries, so much so that doctors had to amputate her left arm.
The shark held her by her leg, and it dragged her down into the water, which Leah thought was her 'final moment', thinking', it was how I'm gonna die'. However, at that moment, she instantly realised that if she died, her daughter would be left alone, and this was the only thought that led her to fight back. She could be quoted as saying:
"I just kind of throw my left arm, and it just grabs onto my forearm and rips, rips away my skin, my muscle, everything... there's a big gap between my forearm and the hand. I had the thought, 'this is it, this is how I die', and then I just thought of [my daughter] August and I thought she's not going to have a mum, she's gonna grow up without a mum. I just knew I couldn't leave her... I know it sounds strange, but I sort of willed myself back."
Leah Stewart revealed that she immediately punched the shark with her right hand. It felt to Leah as if she were punching a 'brick wall'; however, she managed to damage the shark, which loosened its grip, allowing her to fight her way out.
Other swimmers pulled Leah out, and then she was rushed to the hospital, where she was placed in an induced coma, and then she had to undergo almost a dozen surgeries. She, in the interview, shared that she never wants to be remembered as the girl who was 'mauled on the beach', but as someone who 'punched a shark in the face'. Leah Stewart said:
"I must have got a really good one in, and so it let me go. It was the hardest thing in the world, but I fought my way out of there. I don't want to be remembered as a girl that got mauled on the beach. I'm the woman that punched the shark in the face."
What do you think about Leah Stewart's way of fighting bravely against the shark and surviving the near-fatal attack?
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