Leah Stewart, 34, has shared the harrowing details of her shark attack experience, recounting the split-second decision she made to survive a close encounter off Sydney's Coogee Beach on June 13. Stewart was about 100 feet from shore when she was attacked by what is believed to have been a great white shark.
In an interview with Australia's 60 Minutes, Stewart described how the shark came within approximately 30 centimeters of her face, opening its mouth. Facing the immediate threat of a potentially fatal bite to her head, she realized she had to fight back. "I'm like, I've got to try and punch it. I've got to try and push it away or else it's going to bite my head off," she recalled.
Stewart then faced the stark reality of survival, contemplating which limb she was willing to lose. As a right-handed person, she made the difficult choice to defend herself with a "left hook." The attack resulted in the amputation of her left arm. She is the mother of a young daughter named August.
