He saved the girl – then walked away from the Press

A snorkeler has been hailed a hero after he pulled the tail of a great white shark that was attacking a young woman.

Rescuers said he had undoubtedly saved Elyse Frankcom, 19, from fatal injuries.

Ms Frankcom had been leading a swim-with-the-dolphins tour south of Perth when the 3m shark bit into her hip and left buttock.

Last night she was in a stable condition in Royal Perth Hospital after undergoing surgery.

The attack, which occurred off the north end of Garden Island Naval Base, comes only 10 weeks after a surfer was killed by a great white off the coast of Gracetown in WA’s South-West.

The snorkeller who saved Ms Frankcom declined to be interviewed, or give his name. “All I want is the girl to be OK.” he said…

Frank Pisani, senior skipper for Fremantle Sea Rescue, said that the shark attack could have been fatal if not for the quick thinking of one of Ms Frankcom’s tour group.

“As the shark bit her, it brushed aside a fairly large male who grabbed hold of the tail of the shark, which then made it let go,” Mr Pisani said.

“The girl then started to sink to the bottom and he grabbed her and brought her to the surface and got her back on board the boat. He certainly was instrumental in making this a good outcome.

Elyse Frankcom was brave enough on her own – punching the shark on the nose trying to thwart the attack. About all she asked on the way to emergency surgery was safety of a child who was in the group she had been guiding.

And a hefty “Right on!” for the geezer who saved her.