Brit Tourist Wrestles with Shark to Save Children

A British tourist quickly became a hero among Aussies after he successfully battled with a shark in the shallow waters on a beach in Queensland, Australia, where toddlers were splashing.

Paul Marshallsea, 62, hailing from Merthyr Tydfil, a town in south Whales, was on vacation with his family at the Bulcock Beach. The moment he heard screams of 'shark', he sprinted toward the shore and noticed that the 6ft fish was making a hasty approach toward the beachgoers.

He jumped into the water and grabbed the shark by its tail and dragged it to deeper waters.

"My instincts took over and I just grabbed the shark by the tail. I know it was dangerous but it almost looked beautiful - you have got to have respect for a beautiful animal," BBC quoted Marshallsea as saying.

The spot was immediately flooded with local news crew who captured the video of the brave grandfather.

It was a scary tussle, as the shark turned and tried to attack Marshallsea's legs but failed by a few inches.

Marshallsea, a wildlife rescue worker, was quoted in the Guardian as stating: "It just missed me with a bite, which was a fraction away from my leg. A shark that one minute ago was so docile now just nearly took my leg off."

The eventful incident was witnessed by an Australian lifeguard Luke Turner.

As reported by Sky News, Turner, along with his colleague had kept a track of the shark from morning, before it reached the bathing zone.

Turner and his colleague chased the shark away and called in a helicopter for back up. But they were surprised to see it appear after a few hours. The British tourist saved the lives of the young ones by his quick-thinking actions. The two lifeguard officials followed the shark out through the channel when it swam back out to sea, reports The Huffington Post.

Experts from the Canadian Shark Research Laboratory provide clues to the shark's appearance in the shallow waters, stating that either it was hurt or ill. The shark, which was a dusky whaler, can grow up to 12 feet and is dangerous to humans, though the species very rarely attacks humans.