Leah Stewart was swimming around 100 feet off a Sydney beach when a four-metre great white shark surfaced near a group of swimmers and targeted her directly.
How the attack unfolded
As the shark approached with its mouth opening, Stewart made a split-second decision, using her left arm to block it from reaching her face or body. The shark clamped down on her arm, causing severe injuries, before pulling her underwater by her leg.
How she survived
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, Stewart said thoughts of her one-year-old daughter, August, kept her fighting once she was pulled under. She flipped herself around underwater and began repeatedly punching the shark on the tip of its snout, one of the most sensitive parts of its body, until it eventually released its grip and let her go.
She described the moment plainly, saying she was thinking about her daughter growing up without a mother, and that the thought pushed her to fight back however she could rather than give up.
Getting to shore
After being released, Stewart surfaced in bloodied water and managed to reach nearby surfer Charlie Vero, who helped bring her to shore. A doctor happened to be on the beach at the time and immediately began treating her, administering an emergency blood transfusion through her bone marrow directly on the sand while a helicopter was called to bring additional blood and fluids to the scene.
Life after the attack
Stewart lost her left arm and suffered significant damage to her leg in the attack. She's said she continues to experience PTSD, describing a sense of disassociation from the trauma that she believes is her mind's way of protecting her. She hopes to one day share her story with her daughter through a children's book about the experience, and while a return to the ocean remains a long way off, she's expressed gratitude for everyone who helped save her life that day.
