INCREDIBLE footage shows the moment a ‘quintessential’ Aussie bloke strips down to his undies at Manly Beach before boldly trying to save the life of an injured great white shark by dragging it out to sea.
Tradie Karl Bucholtz, 33, was working at a property across the road from Manly Beach when he saw a crowd of people gathered around the beached shark on Monday morning
The juvenile, male great white — nicknamed ‘Fluffy’ — has since grabbed global headlines after it was temporarily transported to Fairy Bower ocean pool on Monday before being released back into the ocean on Tuesday by Manly Sea Life Sanctuary staff.
But before sanctuary staff first attended to the shark, Mr Bucholtz waded into the water — still wearing his hi-vis shirt — to try to help the distressed shark.
“You can’t just stand there and watch it die,” Mr Bucholtz, who lives on the central coast, said.
“I think he was that worn out and stressed that I don’t think he would have even tried to have a nibble (on Mr Bucholtz). “It was just a young bloke looking for a hand.”
Asked if his mates had treated him to a beer after work, Mr Bucholtz said: “Na, I shouted myself a six-pack. Everyone thinks I'm a legend but I don’t think so ... I was just really doing what needed to be done.”
Footage shows Mr Bucholtz walking backwards out to sea while clasping the shark’s tail.
As a wave approaches, Mr Bucholtz releases the shark before he trips up in the surf and has to quickly scamper away from the creature.
After four unsuccessful attempts, Mr Bucholtz then alerted sanctuary staff. While sanctuary aquarist Robbie McCracken praised the man’s courage, he urged others not do the same thing if faced with a similar situation. “Eventually he came to us and did the right thing,” Mr McCracken said.
“We are especially trained to deal with those types of animals, so in the future it’s probably best to call us.”
Manly’s Kristin Rogers filmed the bizarre, yet thoughtful moment Mr Bucholtz attempted the rescue.
“I thought it was amazing ... although it did seem a little risky. That is a quintessential Australian man,” she said.