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    Sharks. Is there any animal on Earth more threatening? They’ve evolved to be the ocean’s apex predator, existing for one purpose only: to eat. And they’re not picky. Every once in a while, a shark will get a thirst for some sweet human blood, and most of the time our soft pink bodies just aren’t up to the challenge. In this article, we’ll introduce you to 10 people who managed to get out of shark attacks alive.

    Rodney Fox
    When you’re spearfishing, you tend to feel pretty badass. How is some dumb fish going to get the better of you with your sharp stick? But in 1963, when Rodney Fox was spearfishing off of Australia, he learned that the ocean has some tricks up its watery sleeve. Fox had just tossed his spear when a great white shark lurched up from the depths and dragged him under. The mighty predator toyed with the terrified hunter, grabbing and releasing him several times before rescuers could pull Rodney into a boat. They decided to leave his wetsuit on until he could be brought to a hospital, which turned out to be a good move as when doctors cut it off, a bunch of Rodney spilled out. Every single one of his ribs was broken and a huge gaping hole in his torso exposed his spleen and main artery to the world. Amazingly, he feels fine today.
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    Bethany Hamilton

    If you can say one thing about professional surfer Bethany Hamilton, it’s that she was born for the waves. The Hawaii-born surfer started competing professionally at the age of 8, but when she was 13, a particularly pissed-off shark decided that he didn’t want to share the ocean anymore. One October morning, a tiger shark spotted Hamilton’s left arm dangling from her board, and with one mighty swipe, severed it at the shoulder. Her father managed to make a tourniquet out of a surfboard leash to keep her from bleeding to death. Most amazingly, Hamilton didn’t let the attack stop her from surfing, and she was back in the water less than a month later.
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    Eric Nerhus

    In 2007, Eric Nerhus was on an ordinary deep-sea dive off the coast of Australia when suddenly everything went dark. Usually that’s bad, and in his case it was extra bad, because a great white shark had just chomped down on his head and shoulders. All Nerhus could see was the interior of the beast’s gaping maw, but he still fought back with the one arm that wasn’t inside the shark, punching the crap out of the monster until for some reason it cut him loose and swam off. If you can punch hard enough to scare a shark, you’re not a guy we want to mess with. 
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    Brook Watson

    Let’s go way back for this one, to share the story of the first recorded survivor of a shark attack. In 1749, young Brook Watson was a 14-year-old crewman on a trading ship that had docked in Havana. The clear, blue water tempted the young man into taking a swim. Unfortunately, his tender, young flesh tempted a great white shark into having a little snack, taking two huge, meaty bites of Watson’s right leg. His shipmates rescued him, but the primitive medical science of the day meant his leg had to be amputated below the knee. Don’t feel sorry for him, though. He went on to become the Lord Mayor of London.
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    Lisa Mondy

    A shark attack can happen anywhere. Well, really it can happen only where there’s water. And sharks. But anywhere inside those areas. When lovely young Lisa Mondy took a wakeboarding trip off the coast of New South Wales in 2011, she was expecting to blow off some steam. What she wasn’t expecting was that a great white shark would rush in and attack her, savaging her face and arm while throwing her limp body several feet in the air. For some reason, the shark didn’t finish the job, leaving Lisa to make it to shore. Over 26 hours of surgery ensued, with doctors arguing over whether to amputate her ragged, decimated arm. The kicker? After her recovery, Mondy has begun working with the Australian Marine Conservation Society to help preserve endangered sharks.
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    Henri Bource

    Few of these shark attacks are documented in any way other than eyewitness accounts, but the footage of diver Henri Bource’s 1964 shark attack was actually filmed, and it’s a doozy. Bource and two other divers were cavorting with seals off of an Australian island when a great white rocketed up from the depths, chomped down on his left leg and started to swim off with him. The waters quickly turned red with blood as Bource frantically tried to gouge the mighty beast’s eyes out. He managed to piss the shark off enough that it let go, and his crewmates pulled him into the ship and got him to shore, where his leg was amputated.

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    Todd Endris

    Sometimes when a shark gets a hold of you, it’s up to Mother Nature to save your ass. In 2007, surfer Todd Endris was ripping the curl outside of Monterey when a 12-foot monster of a shark leaped up and grabbed both Todd and his surfboard. Because the wood wasn’t as tasty as the meat, it spit out the bite and attacked again, ripping huge gashes into Endris’s leg and back. Endris looked like a goner until a pod of dolphins intervened, circling his bleeding body and chasing the shark off while he paddled back to shore and medical attention.
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    Paul de Gelder

    Paul de Gelder was a guy who could handle anything the world threw at him. The clearance diver for the Australian navy was a tough nut through and through, and he overcame a troubled childhood to become a true asset to his country. And then a bull shark attacked him in 2009, drawing both his right arm and right leg into its massive maw. The beast pulled de Gelder underwater and started shaking him. He fought back by whipping punches at the shark's muzzle. For some reason, it disengaged, and de Gelder floated helplessly to the surface. Doctors amputated his right forearm and leg, but he’s battled his way back to serve as an inspiration to survivors everywhere.
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    Jesse Arbogast

    This survival tale isn’t notable because of the victim. No diss to 8-year-old Jesse Arbogast, as he did manage to make it through having his right arm bitten off by a bull shark off the coast of Florida. The hero of this story is Arbogast’s uncle, who first dove into the water to rescue Jesse before going back into the water to grab the seven-foot animal and drag it out of the water to dry land. After this super heroic feat, a park ranger put three bullets in the shark’s head. They then cut open the beast, retrieved Jesse’s severed arm and took both the arm and the wounded child to the hospital, where the arm was reattached.
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    Bettina Periera

    And then sometimes there are survival stories that just come down to pure dumb luck. In 2008, Orange County mom Bettina Periera was kayaking with her family off of Catalina Island when a powerful object rammed her boat. That powerful object was a great white shark, which returned for another pass. This time, it hit hard enough to flip the kayak and send Periera flying into the air. And where do you think she landed? On her two feet, on the shark’s back. The apex predator was so freaked out that it swam away without doing any further damage, and Periera and her family quickly got the hell out of there.