A fishing content creator captured the terrifying moment he was attacked by a shark in Fiji — and later said he held “no hard feelings” toward the predator that came dangerously close to costing him his leg.
“Feeling incredibly lucky to still have my leg, full use of my foot and to be on the mend,” Henry Gibbs told his more than 113,000 followers in a social media update after the July 18 shark attack.
“Four surgeries and a skin graft later it’s looking like I’ll make a full recovery, which I’m hugely grateful for.”
The New Zealand content creator recorded the entire ordeal during what was his first-ever dive in the remote South Pacific island nation.
In the dramatic footage, a gray reef shark can be seen surging through the water toward Gibbs before clamping down on his right leg as he screams in pain.
Fellow divers Colby and Dan, who had joined him on the spearfishing trip, pulled the heavily bleeding Gibbs from the water, treated the gruesome injury and rushed him to a hospital.
Despite the severity of the attack, Gibbs later said he had “no hard feelings” toward the shark, noting that he had been “in its environment hunting its food.” He also suggested the sound of the boat and their spearguns may have contributed to the animal becoming agitated.
“I’ll never know exactly what caused the change, but eventually it started making tight semicircles beneath us, became increasingly agitated and even sprinted at the boat,” he wrote on social media.
“I’ll never know exactly what triggered it.”
Reef sharks typically range in size from 5-6 feet, compared to the formidable 11-16 foot length of the average great white. Gibbs admitted he underestimated its diminutive size.
“Looking back, that should’ve been enough of a sign to call the dive. I never thought a shark of that size posed much of a threat, and that was a mistake.”
Gibbs shared a few post-attack takeaways with his followers after his hard-learned lesson.
“If a shark’s behaviour starts to change, end the dive and move on,” he wrote.
“Stick to plain black wetsuits in the tropics. I’ve since heard of several grey reef shark incidents involving divers wearing camouflage wetsuits,” he continued.
“If a shark becomes agitated, erratic or increasingly aggressive, don’t ignore it.
Lastly, Gibbs warned: “Don’t judge the risk by the shark’s size.”
After four surgeries and a skin graft on his right leg, Gibbs is expected to retain the use of his foot.
He said the incident has left him with “an even greater appreciation for life.”
