Surfer Escapes ‘Savage’ Shark Attack with Surfboard Bitten in Two: ‘A Miracle No One Was Injured’

A surfer in Australia narrowly escaped a shark attack without injury — but his surfboard wasn’t so fortunate.

On the morning of Monday, Aug. 18, Brad Ross was surfing at Cabarita Beach in New South Wales when a great white shark took a massive bite out of his board, according to news.com.au, The Sydney Morning Herald, and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).

Video shared on social media captured Ross splashing near the shore as the shark struck, 10 News reported. He quickly made it to land, carrying his surfboard in two broken pieces with a large section missing.

Authorities confirmed the shark, estimated to be five meters long, was later caught and released, per the outlets.

In footage published by ABC and news.com.au, Ross appeared unhurt as he displayed the damage to his board.

“Lifeguards on the Far North Coast closed Cabarita Beach on the NSW Far North Coast today after a surfer’s board was bitten on Monday morning, 18 August,” a spokesperson for Surf Life Saving NSW told PEOPLE. The organization noted that the incident came less than two months after a teenage boy was bitten by a shark at the same beach.

The group’s statement added that its State Operations Centre was alerted to the unpatrolled beach just after 8 a.m. “It’s believed a surfer’s board was bitten by a shark. The surfer is unharmed.”

Surf Life Saving NSW said lifeguards worked with local council officials to close the beach, post warning signs, and deploy drones to monitor the area for the rest of the day. Police and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development also responded to the scene, according to ABC.

Dave Rope, from Surf Lifesaving Far North Coast, emphasized how fortunate Ross was. “Very, very lucky. I’d be buying a lottery ticket today if I were him,” Rope told ABC. “It’s a miracle no one was injured. The board is split in two from the force of the bite.”

Local yoga teacher Kym Falvey, who witnessed the attack, described the shocking moment. “The man was sitting on his board and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt,” she told ABC. “The board just popped, like it exploded, and it flew up in the air.”

Falvey added that other surfers in the water didn’t stop paddling until they reached the sand.

In June, news.com.au reported that a 16-year-old boy was seriously injured at the same beach after a shark attack left him with severe wounds to his arm and leg. Fellow surfers pulled him to safety and he was rushed to the hospital.