Shark attack victim's quick thinking move that saved her life

A woman who was mauled by a shark off the Far North Queensland coast has revealed the last second decision that saved her life.

Anika Craney was attacked about midday on Tuesday near Fitzroy Island, off the coast of Cairns.

Ms Craney, a deckhand and documentary maker, had been swimming on a day off about 100 metres from a jetty when the shark bit her leg.

“I look down into the murky water and saw a big shark coming towards me, from my left,” the 29-year-old told 7News, adding that she had only seconds to respond.

“I flipped my body around and put the fins in front of the shark’s face, which is what we always do if we see a shark we’re not sure about.

“Usually the sharks we encounter are not aggressive and it’s not an issue. But I did that and I’m so glad I did that,” she said.

Ms Craney said the shark bit her fin and the bottom half of her leg after coming up from beneath her.

She said the amount of blood spurting into the water led her to fear she could die.

“With my right foot I kicked forward and the shark released and I immediately put my hands to my legs to hold it in place and to stop the bleeding, which I could now see was spurting into the water,” Ms Craney told 7News.

Doctors, who were guests at the Fitzroy Island Resort, applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding before a rescue helicopter and paramedics arrived and she was flown to Cairns Hospital.

The 29-year-old underwent surgery on her severed tendons on Thursday.

Despite the near-death experience, Ms Craney said she still loves sharks and is eager to get back into the water.

It was revealed following the attack that the documentary maker was one of hundreds to lose her home when bushfires tore through Cobargo, in southeast NSW, in January.

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