Teen who was attacked by ‘9ft shark’ tried to punch it after watching nature doc

A brave teen how survived a shark attack revealed how she tried to punch the sea beast on the nose.

Addison Bethea, 17, was attacked by the creature on Florida but followed advice she saw on a nature documentary.

Recalling the attack at Keaton Beach, she told Good Morning America: "The next thing I know something latches onto my leg and I was like that's not right.

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"And then I look over and it's a big old shark.

"Then I remember from watching the Animal Planet to like…punch [it] in the nose or something like that. And I couldn't get around to his nose the way he bit me."

Addison's horrified brother, Rhett Willingham, rushed to help his sister, ABC News reports.

He said: "She came back up and I saw, like, the blood and everything, and I saw the shark.

"So then I swam over there, grabbed her, and then pushed them all, kind of trying to separate them. And he just kept coming. So I grabbed her, swam backwards and kicked him and then yelled for help."

Addison suffered serious injuries and had to be airlifted to a hospital in Tallahassee.

There are fears the teen, from Perry, Florida, could still lose one of her legs. She was due to have a second surgery yesterday (Saturday, July 2) to assess what treatment options are available.

Taylor County Sheriff's Office said the type of shark that attacked was unclear but the beast was described as being approximately nine feet long.

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Officials added: "Swimmers and scallopers are cautioned to be alert, vigilant, and practice shark safety.

"Some rules to follow are: never swim alone, do not enter the water near fishermen, avoid areas such as sandbars (where sharks like to congregate), do not swim near large schools of fish, and avoid erratic movements while in the water."

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