(CTN News) – Eric Nerhus, a diver hailing from Eden, Australia, has shared his chilling account of being swallowed whole head-first by a great white shark that attempted to consume him alive.
Nerhus, one of the few individuals on Earth who can recount such an experience from inside one of these apex predators, was diving near the reefs at Cape Howard in New South Wales in January 2007 in search of abalone, a type of edible sea snail, when the deadly creature approached him.
At the age of 41, the seasoned diver found himself inside the stomach of the 10ft-long shark, feeling the piercing teeth sinking into his flesh.
The creature then attempted to swallow him whole, exerting pressure on his head and chest, fortunately protected by his sturdy diving gear.
He recalled, “One minute it was daylight, the next second everything went black. Inside the jaws it was just dark, I couldn’t see anything because I was looking down the back of his throat. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”
Eric Nerhus’ Harrowing Escape from a Great White Shark
Nerhus also described his daring escape from the shark’s grasp to Nine Network News at the time, saying,
“Half my body was in its mouth. I felt down to the eye socket with my two fingers and poked them into the socket. The shark reacted by opening its mouth and I just tried to wriggle out. It was still trying to bite me. It crushed my goggles into my nose and they fell into its mouth.”
He added, “I’ve never felt fear in my life like what I felt in the jaws of that white pointer. I went straight into its mouth, front onwards. Half my body was in its throat. It was like being in a dark cave.”
Eric managed to wriggle out from the shark’s jaws and swam to the surface, where his son helped him back onto their boat while the shark continued to circle nearby.
His co-worker, Dennis Luobikis, praised Eric’s bravery and recounted the escape, stating, “He pushed his abalone chisel into the shark’s head while it was biting, and it let him go and swam away. Eric is a tough boy – he’s super fit. But I would say that would test anyone’s resolve, being a fish lunch.”
