Shark survivor Paul de Gelder eyeballs his enemy by swimming with bull sharks off Fiji

A NAVY diver who lost his hand and leg in a horrific shark attack in Sydney Harbour has faced his fears to brave a close-up encounter.

Paul de Gelder

PAUL de Gelder - the navy clearance diver who lost his hand and leg in a horrific shark attack in Sydney Harbour in February 2009 - has faced his fears to brave a close-up encounter with the same creatures that nearly took his life.

De Gelder, formerly an able seaman with the Royal Australian Navy, was attacked by a 3m bull shark during a routine anti-terrorism training exercise off Garden Island four years ago.

His hand was severed in the near-fatal mauling and doctors were later forced to amputate his right leg above the knee.

But now de Gelder has decided to face his fears head on.

The 36-year-old has teamed up with Channel 9's 60 Minutes to face the species that changed his life.

Tonight's program will show de Gelder diving off the islands of Fiji, up close and personal with a family of bull sharks - described as "minibuses with teeth".

The sharks are of a similar size to the one that attacked de Gelder in Australia and at one point he even sticks out his arm to feed one by hand. "I wanted to witness them in an environment where they're not threatening, where they can be a beautiful part of the environment and the ocean and not a vicious hamstring, hand-tearing man eater," he tells Nine reporter Peter Overton.

Since the much publicised shark attack in 2009, De Gelder has forged a new career as a motivational speaker, mentor and author.

His book, No Time For Fear, is published by Penguin and is available online and in bookstores across Australia.