Shelly Beach: Mark Rapley punches great white to save wife Chantelle Doyle’s life

A man has been praised as a hero after he jumped onto the back of a great white shark that attacked his wife on NSW’s mid north coast on Saturday.

A NSW man has been praised as a hero after punching a shark that was savagely mauling his wife.

Mark Rapley was surfing with wife Chantelle Doyle at Port Macquarie’s Shelly Beach on the NSW mid north coast about 9.30am on Saturday when the great white attacked.

Mr Rapley did not think twice before he jumped on the shark’s back and repeatedly punched it in the head, delivering a series of blows to its head that may have saved Ms Doyle’s life.

“I did what anyone would have done,” Mr Rapley told the The Sunday Telegraph.

Mark Rapley and Chantelle Doyle.

“The shark was latched on to her leg. I just jumped into the water.”

Ms Doyle, 35, received deep wounds to her calf and thigh and was pulled from the water by surfers who rushed to her aid.

She was later flown to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital where she underwent surgery.

Ms Doyle following the attack. Picture: Peter Lorimer

NSW Department of Primary Industries said the shark responsible was a juvenile great white about 2-3m long.

Paramedics arrived at the beach and rushed Ms Doyle to Port Macquarie Base Hospital before she was flown to Newcastle.

Hunter New England Health confirmed the woman was in a stable condition on Sunday morning.

Surf Lifesavers search Shelly Beach. Picture: Lindsay Moller