--- description: A 17-year-old surfer in Australia survived an attack from what appeared to be a great white shark on Monday. title: Teen Survives Shark Attack in Australia image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt985fb79ca755b398/6988a776cf40a856f5c44f21/great-white-shark-attack-australia.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [Sports](/section/sports/) ## Sports Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Teen Survives Great White Shark Attack in Australia  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 26, 2016 1:53 PM CUT  (GERMANY OUT) Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, South Africa, Dyer Island, Gansbaai, Atlantic Ocean (Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images) (GERMANY OUT) Great White Shark, Carcharodon carcharias, South Africa, Dyer Island, Gansbaai, Atlantic Ocean (Photo by Reinhard Dirscherl/ullstein bild via Getty Images)ullstein bild—ullstein bild via Getty Images  by [Julia Zorthian](/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Sep 26, 2016 1:53 PM CUT A 17-year-old surfer in Australia [survived an attack](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-teen-surfer-shark-attack-10-foot-great-white-lighthouse-beach-ballina/ "undefined") from what appeared to be a great white shark on Monday. The teen was surfing off a beach in Ballina during his first day of the summer holiday when a shark bit his board, right hip and thigh, said Ballina Mayor David Wright. Other surfers [helped him to shore](http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/09/26/shark-attacks-australian-teenage-surfer-at-new-south-wales-beach/ "undefined") where he was treated before being taken to the hospital, _CBS News_ reports. “The shark lacerated his leg in three or four places fairly deep,” Wright said. “He should be okay. It was very close to his artery.” > [](https://twitter.com/NSWSharkSmart/status/780218656433184769) Onlookers [estimated the shark](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-teen-surfer-shark-attack-10-foot-great-white-lighthouse-beach-ballina/ "undefined") was about 10 feet long, and said it looked like a great white. The teen was [able to joke](http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/man-bitten-by-shark-at-lighthouse-beach-in-ballina-20160925-groapc.html "undefined") with the respondents and ask them not to tell his mother about the attack, the _Sydney Morning Herald_ reports. He was in stable condition at the hospital. > [](https://twitter.com/helenlovesfood/status/780195793277898752) \[[_CBS News_](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/australia-teen-surfer-shark-attack-10-foot-great-white-lighthouse-beach-ballina/ "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4507547/teen-survives-shark-attack-australia/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4507547/teen-survives-shark-attack-australia/"},"headline":"Teen Survives Great White Shark Attack in Australia","datePublished":"2016-09-26T13:53:45.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T00:49:20.619Z","description":"It was the 17-year-old's first day of summer vacation","url":"https://time.com/4507547/teen-survives-shark-attack-australia/","keywords":["animals"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt985fb79ca755b398/6988a776cf40a856f5c44f21/great-white-shark-attack-australia.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Sports","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt985fb79ca755b398/6988a776cf40a856f5c44f21/great-white-shark-attack-australia.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"great white shark attack australia","caption":"great white shark attack australia","creditText":"ullstein bild—ullstein bild via Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/sports/","name":"Sports"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4507547/teen-survives-shark-attack-australia/","name":"Teen Survives Great White Shark Attack in Australia"}}]}] ```