By Andrew Du and Jesinta Burton
An Albany surfer has described fending off a shark underwater while tangled in his leg rope after it charged at him and bit into the board he was attempting to use as a shield.
Dale Kittow was surfing off Cheynes Beach, about 68 kilometres east of Albany, on Wednesday just before 4pm when he paddled over a wave and spotted a three-metre shark just 10 metres away.
Dale Killow, 37, described fending off the shark while being dragged underwater.
The 37-year-old told 9 News Perth he had watched on from his 6′4″ board as the animal — believed to be a bronze whaler —began circling him 150 metres offshore.
Then suddenly, it charged at him.
“It went for me… I jumped off the back of my board and put it between me and the shark and then the shark bit into the board,” Killow said.
Killow described becoming tangled in his leg rope during the tussle and being dragged underwater.
“I hit it a few times [with my hand], undid my leg rope and freed myself. It was pretty rattling,” he said.
The 37-year-old said he managed to swim back to his board and catch the next wave back to shore, where his worried partner Katie had been watching on.
Killow said he thought about his young son during the incident.
“[Katie] wasn’t too sure what had happened, but she did say she couldn’t see any blood… we had a hug,” Killow told 9 News.
“It wasn’t going to let it take me from [my son], that’s for sure.
“I was pretty rattled at the time, but I tried to stay as calm as I could — I just got lucky.
“It wrecked my favourite surfboard, though.”
The shark managed to take a 30 centimetre bite of the board, which the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development intends to take away for DNA testing to determine the species of shark.
The interaction was reported to Water Police an hour later, prompting authorities to issue a public warning for those in the area.
A woman was knocked into the water after a five-metre shark bit her surf ski at the same location in 2023.
The site was the scene of a fatal shark attack in 2014 when a 17-year-old boy was killed while spearfishing.
The incident comes just over one month after a 15-year-old boy was bitten on the leg and foot while surfing at Pyramids Beach in Mandurah.
See the full story on 9 News Perth tonight at 6pm.