15. Henri Bource loses his leg to a shark – and catches it on camera
In 1964, amateur conservationist Henri Bource was diving with friends in his native Australia. All of a sudden, he was attacked by a huge great white shark. Remarkably, Bource survived. And even more remarkably, much of the attack was captured on film. The footage, gory though it is, captured the popular imagination and brought the ferocious power of sharks into the homes of millions right around the world.
Bource and his friends were diving off the coast of Lady Julia Percy Island. They were playing with the island’s seals when a 2.4 meter-long great white came out of nowhere and chomped off Bource’s leg. His diving partners heard Bource’s screams and then saw his detached leg floating on the surface of the water. They dragged him back on board the boat and managed to get him to shore and to help before he bled to death.
While recovering in hospital, Bource explained that he had managed to fight off the shark. He pushed his hand down its throat and gouged at its eyes until it ripped off his leg and set him free. Before long, Bource was back in the ocean. With a modified leg and flipper, he carried on making films, even using the footage of his attack to produce a film on the life-changing experience. Since the attack, he has made numerous documentaries and also campaigned against the hunting of sharks, including giant great whites.