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Man Recalls Being Mauled by Great White Shark, Survived by Playing Dead

Recently, a man in California recalled his harrowing experience more than 50 years ago when he got attacked by a great white shark. Californian Frank Logan was only 25 years old in 1968 when an innocent sea snail hunt almost turned deadly.

Logan joined two friends, Floyd Blanchard and Bill Posten, one summer to dive for sea snails at Bodega Rock in California’s Sonoma County. All three men were experienced underwater divers who went hunting for sea snails and abalone. After about 25 minutes in the ocean, a great white shark came out of nowhere. It quickly chomped down on Logan’s torso.

“I felt something come down on my legs like a giant vice,” Logan said of the shark encounter, per New York Post. “And then a crushing pain in my back and chest.”

Fitted with only a snorkel and his wetsuit, Logan was helpless in the water against the great white shark. The huge fish bit into his side and proceeded to drag him 16 feet through the ocean. Thankfully, Logan quickly took action and chose to play dead, which miraculously worked. The enormous shark eventually released him as he was able to make it to shore without further injury.

However, plenty of damage had already been done. When the great white shark sunk its teeth into his torso, it left Logan with 18 separate shark tooth punctures. The wound left a 20-inch crescent that ran across the midsection of his body. Following the encounter, shark experts analyzed Logan’s wounds. They determined that the great white that attacked him must be around 13 feet long. Logan is lucky to have survived what could have easily been a fatal attack.

Great White Shark Circles Boat for an Hour, Chomps Down on Motor

Fast forwarding to more recent great white shark encounters, an Australian family got quite the scare while out on the water last month. David Tuckfield, his wife Tanya, and their 14-year-old son Shelby went out fishing off the coast of Mandurah recently, which is south of Perth on the west coast of Australia. In footage captured by the family, a 14-foot great white circled their 24-foot boat and took a bite of its engine.

“We had a big visitor from the deep come up, nice size … white pointer,” Tuckfield said to local station 9 News Australia.

The wild footage shows the great white shark breaching the water with its mouth wide open baring its teeth. Tanya is heard shouting in fear when the huge fish comes out of the ocean ready to bite. Later in the video, the shark goes after the boat’s motor.

“He tried to take a chunk out of the motor – we were mesmerized,” Tuckfield explained when saying he’d never seen a shark that large.

The great white circled their vessel for about an hour before it swam off into the depths of the ocean. Tuckfield said the experience was definitely the highlight of his family’s weekend.

“We don’t appreciate them until you see them up close, and it is their playground,” Tuckfield added.