Teen Aussie surfer recounts chilling moment a huge shark bit his leg at Pyramids beach in Western Australia before the animal swam away

A young Australian surfer on Tuesday recounted the horrific moment he was bitten by a shark while surfing off the coast of Dawesville, Western Australia.

Zachary Hlaing, 15, was surfing at Pyramids Beach around 5:40 this morning when he “felt something latch onto his leg.”

The surfer realized he had been bitten by a large shark and is now reportedly awaiting surgery after suffering six deep cuts to his left leg and foot. However, he is in a stable condition at Peel Health Campus.

According to The Western Australia The surfer has ‘several pieces of the shark tooth or possibly a bone’ in his leg after the incident.

“It all happened so quickly,” he told 7NEWS reporters outside the Peel Health Campus.

“I just felt something grab my leg and then kind of shake it and let go,” he added.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

He had been waiting to catch a wave when the incident occurred, with the 15-year-old surfer revealing the shark had splashed his tail before swimming away.

WA authorities have said the shark was 2 meters long, but the animal’s species has not yet been identified.

“We saw a big tail flap up and make a big splash and then let go and swim away,” the teen said.

After the shark swam away, the teen, who admitted he had been in shock, began paddling back to shore.

‘I was just in shock. We jumped on the boards and started paddling. “We didn’t really think about it, we just went in,” he said.

“(It) didn’t really hurt or anything because I was still in shock.”

Despite the hair-raising encounter with the shark, Hlaing is not deterred from getting back into the water.

“I’ve been surfing pretty much all my life because my dad got me into it and we live near the beach so it’s pretty much the only thing I do in the summer,” the 15-year-old added.

“I might not go to the same place for a while, but as soon as I can, I’ll go there.”

He was praised by local Jay Reeves, who was also about to enter the water with his board before being informed of the incident by one of Hlaing’s group.

Reeves said he carried the young surfer across the beach to his car, wrapped his leg in a towel to stop the bleeding before rushing him to the hospital.

“He got back on his board and started paddling and was just calm,” Mr Reeves told The West Australian.

“When he lifted his foot out, you could see the blood dripping from his foot onto his calf. He also had a laceration and a cut on his foot.

‘I let the boys start the car because they came on push bikes.

‘I ran to him when he came out dripping blood, so I put him on my back and ran to the car. I wrapped his foot in a towel, threw him in the car and took him straight to the hospital.’

Mandurah City rangers subsequently closed Pyraminds beach for 1km either side of where the incident occurred.

Reeves also became enamored with the young surfer, calling him the “gnarliest little guy,” and claiming he didn’t panic after realizing the nature of his injuries.

“He was the gnarliest little guy. He was definitely so chill,” he said.

“I think about the fact that he was so relaxed and we had to make sure he was okay so there wasn’t any panic at all.”

If you see a shark, report it to the water police on 9442 8600

More to follow…