KIAMA, AUSTRALIA — An Australian pro surfer is lucky to be alive today after sustaining severe injuries in a shark attack.

Brett Connellan, 22, lost a chunk of his left thigh when he was mauled by a shark last Wednesday, off the shore of Bombo Beach, near the town of Kiara in New South Wales, eastern Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

Connellan was among a group of surfers out in the water about 100 meters from the shore. When he broke away from the group, an unknown species of shark attacked, grabbing his leg and thrashing him around in the water.

When the attack was over, Connellan was pulled to shore by his friend Joel Trist, a fellow surfer.

Connellan was lucky that members of the public were on hand to help, otherwise he could have bled to death from his injuries, authorities said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.

Connellan, who is now recovering in hospital, said that despite his ordeal he did not want the shark to be hunted, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

----------------------------------------­­---------------------

Welcome to TomoNews, where we animate the most entertaining news on the internets. Come here for an animated look at viral headlines, US news, celebrity gossip, salacious scandals, dumb criminals and much more! Subscribe now for daily news animations that will knock your socks off.

Visit our official website for all the latest, uncensored videos: http://us.tomonews.net
Check out our Android app: http://bit.ly/1rddhCj
Check out our iOS app: http://bit.ly/1gO3z1f

Get top stories delivered to your inbox everyday: http://bit.ly/tomo-newsletter

Stay connected with us here:
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/TomoNewsUS
Twitter @tomonewsus http://www.twitter.com/TomoNewsUS
Google+ http://plus.google.com/+TomoNewsUS/
Instagram @tomonewsus http://instagram.com/tomonewsus