The lifeguard who battled a shark with his bare hands recounts how he found himself face to face with the deadly creature and says it's a miracle he is still alive.
Zach Gallo, 33, said he was at Smith Point Beach on Long Island in New York on Sunday where he was acting as a victim for an ocean training exercise when he unexpectedly felt a “sharp pinch” on his hand.
Mr Gallo said that his survival instincts kicked in and he suddenly pulled the shark to his chest.
The lifeguard from the hamlet Bayport on Long Island, New York said he "ripped back" and started "hammer-punching", feeling the rubber texture of the beast's head, which was around the size of a basketball.
As it thrashed in the water, the lifeguard, with a decade of experience, continued to punch it still not fully sure what the beast was.
It was not until the third or fourth punch that the shark flipped and so Mr Gallo saw the beast swimming in the other direction.
“And it was that moment where I realised that we were dealing with a shark,” he told New York Post.
The tail then battered him in the chest and arm, which is when Mr Gallo shouted to the other lifeguards in the water to hurry to shore.
He said he swam faster than he ever had in his life, getting to shore remarkably unscathed with some to wounds to his chest and hands.
Mr Gallo needed a few stitches in his hand and a bandage on his chest but felt lucky to be alive.
Smith Point beach was closed on Sunday following the incident.
Gallo’s wife, Caitlin Murray, said she did not believe the news at first, saying her husband is always fearless and that he sounded so calm.
She asked him if he wasn't sure it was a bluefish or something else, but no, he said it was crazy but it truly is what happened.
Mr Gallo has to take 10 days off work to recover but is excited to get back into the water.
Despite the scary encounter, Gallo said he was not frightened and that the shark was just acting normal.
