‘He wouldn’t let go!’ Businessman PUNCHES shark to escape terrifying attack

Mr Newman, from London, self-medicated with “painkillers, a couple of shots of tequila and a mojito” during a three-hour rescue mission off the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific Ocean.

The advertising boss said: “His eyes were no more than a metre away from me – this massive shark head with white eyes.

“We were just staring at each other with my whole foot in his mouth. He wouldn’t let go.

“I punched him harder and harder until he let go – I just went into automatic mode.

A 16-strong group were snorkelling towards a group of sea-lions in the last activity of their holidays on Saturday afternoon.

After the attack, he was taken by dinghy to a hospital three hours away.

Mr Newman was due to travel home to the UK today.

The 45-year-old, who co-founded advertising agency DOOH.com, added: “Half of my foot looked like it was hanging off.

“I didn’t feel any pain when I saw my bones and tendons… I could just see the blood pumping.

“It was the longest three hours of my life.

“When I close my eyes, all I can see is the shark’s white eye and my foot in his mouth.

“What I ultimately found was how precious my life is and how happy I am to be alive.”

He added: “I have a long term fear of sharks and water, after I had watched Jaws and The Beach when he punches the shark.

“I had recalled it in my head because I was so fearful.”

Fellow traveller Audrey Lag, 31, said: “I saw a shark passing close to Andy but didn’t realise it had bitten him at first.

“Then I saw him going up with his foot bleeding, shouting for help and ‘shark’.

“I looked back down and saw a big Galapagos shark right underneath me. I swam towards Andy, closer to the rocks, and pushed him more out of the water.

“I was afraid there would be two or three more coming for us if he didn’t get his foot to bleed somewhere else.”

Doctors battled to save Mr Newman’s foot, reattaching tendons in his right leg and setting it in plaster to treat a broken bone.

He travelled to the tropical islands to “find my faith in life again through nature” after the sudden death of his husband Damon in 2016.

British doctor Kathryn Gilbert, who was also part of the tour group, said: “Unsurprisingly I’ve never dealt with a shark bite working in the UK.

“I just found some strong painkillers and tried to stop the bleeding which we managed with a bandage and a lot of towels.”