Rodney Fox: from the famous great white shark victim to the famous great white shark advocate
The fear of being eaten alive is built into nature in every human being. Those who have survived attacks by creatures like big cats, bears, or sharks are the subject of great interest from others and often earn some kind of local or national celebrity. Attacks on humans by great white sharks are statistically rare, but they are always great news. The most famous of these attacks occurred in South Australia in 1963, on a man named Rodney Fox. Rodney not only survived, but has become one of the leading authorities on sharks, heavily involved in the conservation of the great white shark.
On December 8, 1963, Fox was competing in a spearfishing competition off Aldinga Beach. He was diving near the bottom of the seaweed beds when he was struck with tremendous force by a great white shark. With his torso wedged tightly into his powerful jaws, he tried to hit the eyes and nose, but in doing so, he managed to cut his hand and arm with the shark’s rows of jagged teeth. For some reason, the shark released him briefly and was able to come up to the surface to take a big breath of air. Unlike most other attacks, this “white pointer” (as they are called in Australia) did not wait or leave, it rose through the blood-filled water for another attempt by Fox. the white pointer would bite him again grabbing him and clinging to him as he dragged him back to the bottom. Finally, the need for air became overwhelming, so he let go and kicked weakly towards the surface.
The shark did not strike again, and fortunately a nearby ship dragged Fox aboard. He was rushed to shore, where an ambulance that had been on the beach rushed him to the hospital. Most of his torso was literally attached by his wetsuit (which saved his life) and the hand / arm that ended in the shark’s mouth was shattered in places to the bone. At the hospital he required 462 stitches in total, from an emergency surgeon on call who, coincidentally, had just returned from a specific course on chest surgery / injuries.
Rodney made an incredible recovery and returned to spearfishing and abalone diving, even winning a prestigious championship the following year. Fortunately, he was not attacked again, but withdrew several years later due to a rather latent sense of self-preservation.
Despite his wild near-death experience, Fox has incredible respect for the great white shark. He has become one of the chief authorities of the species and emphasizes that these animals are not mindless man-eaters. Rather, they are beautiful and powerful predators that are vital to the ocean ecosystem. Fox was instrumental in the development of the initial shark cage. He has led countless great white expeditions for filming and research, and has taken many shark enthusiasts and marine biologists on cage diving and sighting of white sharks.
Rodney Fox neither blames nor hates the white pointer who wounded him in 1963.
Spearfishers swim in shark domains, and in Fox’s time they carried the bleeding fish they had already caught with them as they continued the dive, an invitation to curious and hungry sharks. Shark attacks are almost always the result of curiosity or an instance where the shark mistakes a human for its normal prey source in areas where recreation and large prey populations overlap. Rodney Fox has been quoted as saying: “Protecting the great white shark is a huge step forward … and having them protected and giving them the opportunity to learn more about them is a wonderful thing.”