'I survived a shark attack – now I wear its tooth as an earring with pride' – The Mirror US
WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES Angus Kockott was snorkeling in French Polynesia when a suspected 2.5m grey reef shark attacked him from behind a reef
A man who survived a shark attack turned one of its teeth into an earring and insists wearing it has given him "closure"
Angus Kockott, 20, transformed one of the shark teeth pulled from his arm into an earring after surviving a shark attack while snorkeling in shallow waters off the island of Mangareva, French Polynesia.
In May, a suspected 2.5m grey reef shark suddenly appeared from behind a reef and bit his arm, prompting him to stab the shark in the gills with a small knife used for cutting diving lines to fight it off.
'I took a DNA test to trace my family tree – but I was sickened by the results'
'I'm the voice of Bluetooth – strangers recognize my voice but not my face'
Following life-saving surgery at the hospital, where several shark teeth were recovered from his arm, Angus is still undergoing physio and nerve treatments. Despite the traumatic experience, he considers it a "defining experience" in his life.
To commemorate this, he had one of the shark teeth removed from his arm turned into an earring, which he proudly wears. Sailor Angus, originally from East London, South Africa, shared his terrifying encounter: "Seeing that shark right before it bit me – that was a real 'oh sh*t' moment."
"If I hadn't blocked the shark with my arm, it could have gone for my neck – I would've been toast. But it's been a defining experience in my life and that's why I got it's tooth made into an earring.
"Wearing it feels like the close of this chapter. I've got through it and I've got my trophy hanging on my ear."
On May 23, Angus was sailing with a friend around the Gambier Islands in French Polynesia when he was attacked while freediving.
In a terrifying encounter, he was able to extend his arm to shield his head and neck just as the shark lunged. As the beast clamped down on his arm, he managed to pull out a 4-inch diving blade from his pocket.
He recounted: " I just went for the shark as hard as I could. It was only a little knife, but I'm very glad I had it on that day.
"My assumption was it was a territory thing – you can't blame the animal."
Despite his arm being severely damaged, Angus swam through a pool of blood to safety. Using his goggles, he fashioned a makeshift tourniquet around his wounded arm.
He described the gruesome scene: "My arm was literally squirting blood – it looked like a stripped drumstick."
An emergency military aircraft was dispatched to airlift him to Taaone Hospital in Tahiti where he underwent a life-saving six-hour surgery. The following day, doctors "took my arm apart and put it back together again", he shared.
After spending three weeks recuperating in Tahiti, he returned home to East London, South Africa, for additional treatments. These included a nerve graft – as several nerves in his arm had been completely severed – and a skin graft.
Due to the nerve damage, Angus has limited movement and sensation in his arm, but he remains hopeful that with continued treatment and therapy, his condition will improve. Despite the harrowing experience, Angus is eager to dive again.
He even sent off one of the teeth extracted from his arm to be made into an earring – which arrived this week.
'I was invited to a child-free wedding but brought my toddler anyway'
'I cut out all processed food for nine months – now I have a problem'
Angus sports his jewelry with a sense of pride, seeing it as a symbol of his survival and a form of closure from his brush with death. He expressed, "When I opened the earring, it was even better than I expected."
He also shared, "I have a long way to go with my recovery, but this feels like a good close to a chapter."
Enthusiastically, he added, "It's like a souvenir of what I went through – and it's going to be a life-long conversation starter! ".
