Former navy diver Paul de Gelder has opened up about the terrifying 2009 Sydney Harbour shark attack that changed his life forever in a new interview on The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show podcast.

de Gelder, 49, was undertaking a navy counter-terrorism operation, swimming in murky waters near Woolloomooloo, when a bull shark grabbed hold of him in an attack that lasted just eight seconds but would give him permanently life-changing injuries.

de Gelder lost an arm and a leg in the attack which very nearly cost him his life.

The frenzied shark attack was captured on video. Picture: ADF
The frenzied shark attack was captured on video. Picture: ADF

Speaking to Rowe, de Gelder – who has gone on to become a world-renowned motivational speaker and shark safety advocate, currently appearing in the new Nine series SHARK! – said he had one distinct thought when he was underwater being attacked by the shark: “Oh, you’re not going home today. You’re going to die right now.”

And de Gelder recalled telling himself in those moments that “If I’m gonna die, I’m at ease with that. I’m ready to go. And so I just let go and I was waiting for death. And then the shark ripped out my hamstring and ripped off my hand in the same bite. And I guess because my wetsuit is made to be buoyant, I popped to the surface. The shark had had its fill … it decided it didn’t wanna bite me again,” he said.

de Gelder made his way back to the safety of the boat with no idea about the extent of his injuries. As he told news.com.au in an interview last year, his navy training – and the expertise of those around him – was what helped save his life.

Since the attack, de Gelder has forged a new career as a motivational speaker and shark safety expert.
Since the attack, de Gelder has forged a new career as a motivational speaker and shark safety expert.

“Having the focus to be able to swim back to the safety boat with one hand and one leg through a pool of my own blood, and then my three teammates in the boat jamming their T-shirts into the wound, strapping it with a life jacket to cinch it all down,” he told news.com.au last year.

“Then it was thanks to my chief on the wharf, knowing that it wasn’t stopping the blood, so he got one of the guys to pinch an artery closed with their fingers. The surgeon said if he hadn’t done that, I would have died within another 30 seconds.”

de Gelder said it was the quick thinking of his navy colleagues in the boat (pictured) that helped save his life. Picture: ADF
de Gelder said it was the quick thinking of his navy colleagues in the boat (pictured) that helped save his life. Picture: ADF

de Gelder told Rowe that his near-death encounter had left him feeling fearless about his own mortality.

“Once you’ve come that close to death, in that scenario, your greatest nightmare in agonising pain and torture and then losing almost everything you thought you were, there’s nothing to be left afraid of, now I get to live free,” he said.

“I don’t have to cling to the mortal coil, I’m not afraid of death, all I want to do is make sure that when I’m granted death the next time, I feel the same way that I did the first time. No regrets, lived a good life, I’m ready for the next adventure.”

But perhaps surprisingly, given his role since the attack as a motivational figure and shark attack survivor, de Gelder confessed he still felt “very self-conscious” about the extensive injuries he suffered in the attack.

de Gelder feels self-conscious about his injuries but has learned to “hold his head high.” Picture: Supplied
de Gelder feels self-conscious about his injuries but has learned to “hold his head high.” Picture: Supplied

“It’s hard not to be when you walk down the street and everyone stares at you, even if they try and hide it,” he said.

“They look at me and then they instantly look down at my arm, my leg and then they look away quickly because they don’t want to get caught.”

But he said he had learned that how he carried himself with his injuries made all the difference in how he’s perceived.

“I could look like I’m struggling, I could limp and grimace, or I could hold my head high and my shoulders back and my chest out and power through it. And then instead of those people saying, ‘Oh, that poor guy, look at him,’ they go, ‘Oh my God, look at that cyborg, that’s awesome!’

SOURCE: https://www.news.com.au/entertainment/tv/radio/paul-de-gelder-on-the-eightsecond-sydney-harbour-shark-attack-that-changed-his-life-forever/news-story/84a63b15a0d38576082609c22f500f7b?utm_source=News.com.au&utm_medium=Facebook&utm_campaign=EditorialSB&utm_content=SocialBakers&fbclid=IwY2xjawSYggpleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEyUDZGSVRlWDV0c2lKeFZKc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHsfNvKEDBEKdmQRUcErqeUaWISf0ZnotZTTVNDt2jt0XEHlSZFWCH-twrh5A_aem_r6NGYyKGIfQtwD9Sdo1M5Q