British fisherman nearly has his arm ripped off by shark on dream holiday

A British fisherman who needed 91 stitches and three tied arteries after a shark attack has said he wants to go back to where he was bitten.

Father-of-two Curtis Miller, 30, suffered deep wounds to his arm after he was attacked by a sand tiger shark while on a fishing trip with friends in South Africa.

They had hooked the 300-pound shark and were attempting to release it when it thrashed around and bit onto Curtis’ arm.

Curtis, from Barry, South Wales,

‘The boys I was with attended to it and the local ranger took me to a private hospital,’ he said. ‘I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The trip was very professionally run and organised. Their care and support were second to none. This was a freak accident.

‘People don’t need to be put off by my accident. The trip was a once-in-a lifetime opportunity, and I will most definitely return.’

Though Curtis remained calm during the attack, his mum Helen Miller, 60, was understandably worried.

She said: ‘He phoned me the following day after he’d been in hospital, and I was just beside myself. I had a breakdown and had to pass the phone over to my husband.

‘I didn’t know whether he’d lost a leg or lost an arm when he phoned, all I could see was his face and he went, “Mum I’ve got something to tell you, I’ve been bitten by a shark.” It’s your worst nightmare.’

His mum said despite being bitten by the shark, he was more upset over missing the last four days of fishing and damaging his tattoo.

Mum Helen said Curtis’ two children Belle, nine, and Cruz, three, were amazed to learn what happened to their dad.

She said Belle had been ‘talking about it nonstop.’ Curtis is now back in the UK where he is receiving further treatment.

Metro has reached out to Curtis for comment.

In February, it was revealed the secret weapon to prevent beachgoers from shark attacks could have been swimming in the ocean alongside the predators all along.

Researchers from University College Dublin and Florida Atlantic University found that cuttlefish ink works as a ‘chemical repellant’ for the beasts. Cuttlefish are found in most of the world’s oceans, except the Americas. A squid-like creature, they feed on small fish and crustaceans.

They also secrete a dark ink, composed mainly of melanin – which can overwhelm sharks’ senses of smell, which is the main way they hunt.

Researcher Colleen Lawless said: ‘By leveraging what we’ve discovered, it may be possible to deploy safe and targeted repellents near beaches, aquaculture signs or fishing zones, to minimize encounters between sharks and humans.’

Cuttlefish ink has a molecular structure which can almost attach itself to shark’s scent receptors – making it difficult for them to hunt, and persuading them to find other waters to swim in.

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