Shark attack survivor FILMS immediate bloody aftermath of bite in Australia that cost him his leg: ‘I wanted to say goodbye. “I never thought I would survive.”
A swimmer who lost his leg in a savage shark attack off the coast of Queensland has shared his harrowing story and horrifying footage of the life-changing incident.
Heartbreaking footage shows the moments after 20-year-old Matteo Mariotti, an Italian student from Parma, was attacked by the creature on the remote beach of 1770, about 80 miles north of Bundaberg, last Friday.
The shark ripped into his leg as he swam and tore it apart, and in the video an eerie crimson cloud can be seen surrounding Mariotti as he screamed and fought his way back to the surface.
He was only able to escape after his friend and diving instructor, Tommaso Agosti, quickly dragged him ashore and tried to calm Mariotti’s breathing while stopping the bleeding as help arrived.
Mariotti was rushed to the hospital to undergo surgery, but after several attempts, doctors were unable to save his leg and were forced to amputate it below the knee.
But the student remains cheerful and in an Instagram post he told his friends, family and followers about his gratitude for cheating and almost facing certain death.
Tommaso is seen grabbing Mariotti by the arm and dragging him to shore as a cloud of crimson blood surrounds him.
In the harrowing video, pieces of Mariotti’s leg can be seen hanging
Matteo Mariotti – Italian student attacked by a shark in Australia
Mariotti screams for help on the shoreline as the water around him turns red
Mariotti can be heard screaming for help in the video as he makes his way to the shoreline
Mariotti’s leg is seen in bloody shreds just seconds after the attack took place
Mariotti is seen writhing in pain on the shore after being dragged out of the water by Tommaso
“I played this video a few moments after the last bite. I wanted to say goodbye, I never thought I would survive that monster,” Mariotti wrote in the hours after the attack.
‘I’ve lost so much blood, and my leg. I don’t know if they’re going to cut it all off or leave it in two, but that doesn’t matter now.
“You are my heroes, you give me the strength to continue with your texts and calls, my only dream is to see you again. Sorry if I can’t answer, but I’m very tired and my head hurts.’
He then wrote in a playful yet moving message to his rescuer: “I owe you my life. (Tommaso called me an idiot for not having the Australian insurance medicine, luckily I had one made in Italy before I left).”
The breed of the shark that attacked the student is not yet known.
Matteo Mariotti, an Italian student from Parma, was attacked by the creature last Friday on a remote beach about 80 miles north of Bundaberg
Paramedics from the ambulance service were called to 1770 beach around 4pm on Friday after reports of an injured swimmer
Mariotti had been in Australia since November 2022 to study marine biology.
In addition to his rescuer Tommaso, he credits his miraculous survival to his late grandfather, who died just a day before the shark encounter.
The young student, who took a temporary break from his studies to seek solace on the beach amid the grief, credits his grandfather’s spirit for guiding him through the dangerous situation.
But Mariotti now faces a challenging road to recovery, having undergone multiple surgeries, with additional procedures planned after the amputation aimed at boosting his chances of rehabilitation.