A Great White Shark Dragged a California Mother Underwater β She Fought Back by Gouging Its Eye
A great white shark had its jaws locked around Leeanne Ericson's right thigh, dragging her beneath the Pacific Ocean as she desperately fought to escape. The 35-year-old California mother punched the animal repeatedly, but the shark continued pulling her underwater. With her strength fading and the surface slipping farther away, she reached toward its head and drove her fingers into its eye. The shark finally released her. But when her boyfriend, Dusty Phillips, searched the murky water for her, the full horror of the attack was only beginning to emerge. Leeanne had survived the shark's jaws, yet the devastating injury to her leg threatened her life.
Chapter 1: A Saturday Morning at San Onofre
On April 29, 2017, Leeanne Ericson was enjoying the Pacific Ocean near San Onofre State Beach in Southern California.
The 35-year-old mother was in the water near her boyfriend, Dusty Phillips, when an ordinary day at the beach turned into a life-threatening emergency.
San Onofre is a well-known surfing destination along the coast of San Diego County. Its beaches attract surfers, swimmers, and other ocean enthusiasts who come to enjoy the waves and coastal scenery.
Like many beaches along California's coastline, however, San Onofre is also part of the natural habitat of large marine predators.
Great white sharks travel through the waters of Southern California, including areas where people regularly swim and surf.
Most encounters do not result in attacks.
But on that April morning, Leeanne was about to experience one of the most dangerous situations imaginable for a person in the ocean.
She was near a surfboard when she felt something large make contact with her leg.
At first, she thought it might be a seal.
The assumption was understandable. Seals and sea lions inhabit the California coast, and unexpected contact with marine wildlife does not automatically indicate danger.
But the object touching her was not a seal.
It was a great white shark.
Before Leeanne could fully understand what was happening, the animal seized her right thigh.
Its powerful jaws closed around her leg.
The attack was sudden, leaving almost no opportunity to prepare.
The shark began pulling her beneath the surface.
Within seconds, Leeanne was no longer simply struggling against an animal.
She was fighting to avoid being dragged deeper underwater.
Dusty was nearby, but he could not immediately stop what was happening.
The shark had taken hold of Leeanne.
And she was disappearing beneath the water.
Chapter 2: The Predator Beneath the Surface
Great white sharks are among the largest predatory fish in the world's oceans.