Pictured is the shark believed to be responsible for twin attacks off the coast of Western Australia in the space of seven hours. Photo / Supplied
Alex Travaglini lived through every surfer's worst nightmare. He was out in the water when a shark was spotted and just as he was making his way back to the shore, he felt something chomp down on his leg.
The father-of-two, 37, was out surfing with friends on April 16 at the Cobblestones break near Gracetown, south of Perth, and was paddling out to catch another wave when the unthinkable happened.
"I heard my friend say, 'There it is!' and asked him what he meant and he told me that a shark just swam underneath him," Travaglini told news.com.au.
"Everyone in the area started paddling away, not panicking but moving quickly to get some distance between them and the shark."
He said it wasn't unusual to see a fin pop out of the water every now and then, but these sightings don't usually end in an attack.
Travaglini started following his friends back to shore when he felt something slice through his left calf.
"I hadn't seen the shark coming for me and it was only when I felt that bite did I realise what was happening," he said.
"It then let go of my calf and started thrashing its head around with its mouth open, which is how I sustained the other cuts higher up on my legs."
There was a struggle between the 37-year-old surfer and the 4m great white, resulting in him being dragged under the water.
Travaglini somehow managed to pull himself back on his board, using it to shield his body from the circling predator.
"The shark swam around so I was face-to-face with it and I remember clearly seeing its eye," he said.
"It was obviously sizing me up."
The shark lunged at Travaglini once more and thankfully he was able to defend himself by smacking it in the nose and pushing the board into its mouth.
"I went into survival mode and did everything I could to get out of there. I was scared I was going to lose my life," he said.
"At one stage I managed to regain a bit of control and I became quite adamant that I was going to survive."
With the help of his friends he managed to get to shore where they used a leg rope to apply a tourniquet to slow down the bleeding, something Travaglini attributes to saving him from worse injuries.
"What saved me is the fact that the tourniquets were applied early on. So if you are a surfer I really suggest learning how to tie a tourniquet with a leg rope."
Travaglini sustained serious injuries to both his legs and was flown to Royal Perth Hospital where he underwent surgery.
He was able to return to his home in Margaret River last week but still has a long road ahead of him before he is well enough to return to work.
"I am still moving around on crutches which I expect I will have to use for a while," Travaglini said. "It is probably going to be around the three-month mark before I am back on my feet moving around again."
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Travaglini and his family with his medical expenses.
More than A$17,000 ($18,200) has so far been raised and he said he is planning on using part of the money to fund research that can help minimise attacks.
"Every time a shark attack happens there is the big debate between the two extremes: those who want to cull sharks and those who think we should leave them alone. I am trying to be rational about it and find a middle ground," he said.
The 37-year-old said that in the case of his attack, the Department of Fisheries sent out a response unit to follow the shark and warn people of its presence. He believes that in cases like his, GPS trackers should be put on the sharks so authorities can map their movements.
Hours after his attack, a second man, Jason Longrass, was targeted by a shark just 1km away.
"If the shark had been tracked then they may have been able to avoid the second attack that happened later that day or at least find out if it was the same shark," Travaglini said.
"If a dog bites a human or another dog a ranger will come and deal with it.
"If a human attacks another human, police will intervene and punish the attacker.
"If a snake comes into your backyard and could be a danger to you, a catcher will come and take it away.
"So when it comes to sharks we need to take more responsibility for ensuring the safety of swimmers."
2010
August: Surfer Nick Edwards, 31, dies near Gracetown
2011
September: Kyle Burden, 21, killed while boogie boarding at Bunker Bay
October: Bryn Martin, 64, disappears at Cottesloe Beach
October: US man George Thomas Wainwright, 32, killed while diving off Rottnest Island
2012
March: Peter Kurmann, 33, dies while diving off Stratham Beach
July: Surfer Ben Linden, 24, dies off Wedge Island
2013
November: Chris Boyd, 35, killed at Gracetown
2014
October: Surfer Sean Pollard, 23, loses arm and other hand near Esperance
November: Cameron Pearman, 13, bitten while surfing at Port Bouvard
December: Spear fisher Jay Muscat, 17, killed near Albany
2015
October: Surfer Eli Zawadzki, 18, bitten on the foot at Dawesville
2016
June: Surfer Ben Gerring, 29, dies three days after losing his leg at Falcon Beach
June: Doreen Collyer, 60, killed less than a week later while diving with a friend off Mindarie
2017
April: Laeticia Brouwer, 17, fatally bitten on the leg while surfing with her dad at Esperance
2018
April: A surfer, in his 30s, bitten on the lower leg at Gracetown.