Phillip Wayne Brown shares his story after shark attacked him while spearfishing in Yarrabah

A shark attack victim has spoken about surviving a terrifying incident while he was fishing with a mate and his nephews. Find out what happened.

A FAR North spearfisher has revealed he thought he going to lose his leg after a shark bit him and circled back to attack again in the bloodied water.

Phillip Wayne Brown from Yarrabah went spearfishing with his mates and nephews on Rocky Island near Yarrabah on Sunday looking for a barra when he thinks a three metre bull shark approached him.

“As I popped my head back up there was the bull shark coming straight for me. I was still a long way from the rocks so I tried to swim a bit faster to the rocks,” he said.

“As I just grabbed the rock it came up from behind and grabbed me on my leg and twist, popped my knee out of the socket.”

But the 24-year-old, now recovering in Cairns Hospital, said all he was concerned about in that moment was about his friends and nephews.

“I had to quickly sing at my mate and little nephew to quickly hurry up and get out of the water because they were still in the water when the shark had me on my leg,” he said.

After that moment he had to think quickly.

“I grabbed my little speargun and spun around and got him on top of the head with the speargun and he took off but kept circling around because all the blood was there in the water,” he said.

“He came back like two or three times trying to have a go but my foot was out of the water.”

At the time Mr Brown thought he wasn’t going to make it out alive.

Phillip Wayne Brown said the incident won’t stop him from diving again. Picture: Facebook

“I thought it was my last day, thank God I had them two there with me,” he said.

“It’s just the wrong place at the wrong time.”

His friends and nephews helped him out and then took him to Yarrabah hospital in a ute.

Mr Brown has been spearfishing since the age of 12 and he said this experience won’t stop him from diving again.

“I will be going back diving but I wont be diving back at home. I might just go back out to the reef again,” he said.

Mr Brown came out of the incident feeling very lucky.

Phillip Wayne Brown said he was very lucky to come out of a shark attack alive. Picture: Andreas Nicola

“I thought I would lose my leg or lose my life. If the water was a bit deeper he would’ve got the best of me,” he said.

While there was no broken bone Mr Brown said the shark snapped a ligament and he had a big scar from it.

After he was seen at Yarrabah hospital he was taken to Cairns Hospital by helicopter.

He had surgery on Sunday afternoon and was told by doctors it should be all good with time.

Originally published as Phillip Wayne Brown shares his story after shark attacked him while spearfishing in Yarrabah