A surfer was the victim of a terrifying attack off the Tasmanian coast — not by a shark, but by a New Zealand fur seal, The Mercury revealed Thursday.
The mammal — able to deliver a bite similar to that of a dog — left Liam Byrne's surfboard pitted with tooth marks in the incident at Cloudy Bay, on the island state's south-west coast.
Byrne said he noticed the eight-foot seal showing a persistent interest in him as he surfed.
"There were two other guys in the water but as soon as they got out, it was on," Byrne said.
The seal disappeared underwater before charging Byrne from beneath, knocking him off his board.
"It repeatedly latched on to my board and thrashed it about even though I was kicking and punching it as hard as I could," he said.
But his actions did not deter the seal, which attacked him another four times as he tried to reach the beach.
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