An angler recovering in hospital after being bitten by a shark on a vessel off the coast of Co Waterford has said the beast ripped off part of his calf when it "lunged" at him.
Sebastian Achim was angling for sharks on board a small vessel south of Ardmore when the incident happened at 4.15pm on Wednesday.
First-ever Blue Shark attack
"We went off fishing for sharks along the coast of Co Waterford," Mr Achim told 'All About Cork with Paul Byrne', adding that when he landed what was his first-ever Blue Shark, it "lunged" at him.
He said: "I finally managed to land my first Blue Shark and while I was admiring the catch, the catch decided to lunge at my leg and grab my calf. It managed to rip part of my calf and do damage that we required special services for."
Air and sea rescue operation
Mr Achim insisted he was okay, however, and hopes his recovery will be quick. He added: "I was just scared of it for my life at some point during it. I was pretty calm. I'm a pretty calm person. I was just thinking that I want to get home, hoping to get home safe."
Asked if he thought he would not make it, he said: "There was moments."
The emergency response sparked a high-stakes air and sea rescue operation. The Irish Coast Guard was alerted to the incident south of Ardmore and dispatched the Rescue 117 helicopter to the scene.
In a statement, they said: "The Coast Guard's Waterford based helicopter, Rescue 117, was tasked to the scene, as well as the Ballycotton RNLI all weather lifeboat and the Youghal RNLI inshore lifeboat."
The man was winched on board Rescue 117 and taken to Cork University Hospital and handed over into the care of the HSE.
First shark attack in 30 years
Ballycotton RNLI said it was requested to launch by Dublin Coast Guard to assist a five-metre "pleasure craft" with five people on board near Ram Head in Ardmore, following a report of a person being bitten by a shark.
A spokesperson said its lifeboat and Youghal RNLI remained on standby while the man was winched from the vessel by Rescue 117. Ballycotton RNLI said: "The remaining members of the group did not require assistance, and the casualty vessel subsequently returned safely to Dungarvan. Both lifeboats were then stood down."
Coxswain on duty, Eolan Walsh, said this was a "well-coordinated" multi-agency response involving Ballycotton RNLI, Youghal RNLI and Rescue 117 working together to ensure that the casualty received urgent medical assistance.
Mr Walsh said it was possible that the shark had been brought on board the fishing boat when the man was bitten. He said: "I believe they were fishing and they possibly brought the shark on board the boat and obviously, the shark bit."
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime programme, he said that there was no reason for swimmers to fear similar attacks. He added: "It wasn't somebody swimming who was attacked. There's nothing to be afraid of there."
Mr Walsh said it was the first time he had ever been called out to a shark attack. He said: "Not in the 30 years I've been volunteering have I ever heard of this."
