<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A young surfer has told of his terror as he realised a shark had grabbed his foot and knocked him off his board in South Australia.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Oliver Tokic-Bensley, 16, said he was surfing by himself in murky water off the tourist town of Middleton was he was struck.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He was about 100 metres offshore, frantically paddling in, hoping the shark wouldn't strike again.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/us-israel-iran-war-update-clock-ticks-on-trumps-48hour-deadline-as-us-and-iran-race-to-find-missing-pilot/b2a59e43-5e1f-46e5-a7cc-d4ddba00f8da"><strong><span>US aviator missing after Iran shot down fighter jet rescued</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"(I was) sitting on my board waiting for a wave to come and something just came and grabbed my foot," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I fell into the water with it and then maybe five metres in front of me there was a little fin that popped up, and I just hopped on my board and legged it back to the beach."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When the fin disappeared below the surface, Oliver faced every surfer's worst nightmare, not knowing if the predator would strike again.</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/national/shark-attack-surfer-middleton-south-australia/2bf647e6-1b82-4d51-bf41-065de5a08f4d" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/artemis-ii-moon-mission-nasa-toilet/bfbca175-2724-4f3d-a2a1-9a0f4b3d02b7"><strong><span>Artemis II toilet acts up again as astronauts speed toward the moon</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"It was pretty frantic," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"There were no waves to catch at the time it got me so I just had to paddle."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>His father, Andrew Bensley, had been watching his son from their holiday home but didn't see the attack.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE:</span></strong><span> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/dezi-freeman-victoria-police-respond-sisters-of-neal-thompson-plan-to-sue/dacd655c-c884-42af-8b3c-8c607ef7d1f8"><strong><span>Victoria Police respond as sisters of constable killed by Dezi Freeman plan to sue</span></strong></a></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I think the movement of his foot and maybe the murky water, the shark mistimed the hit. If it was a little bit up he definitely would have lost his foot," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Based on the size of the teeth it was a reasonable-sized shark."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When Oliver finally made it to shore and reached his phone he called his sister to raise the alarm.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I just said 'I just got attacked by a shark'. I didn't word it very well so she thought it was a lot worse than it was. So she sort of started stressing out," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>While Oliver has quite the tale to tell - he says the attack won't keep him out of the water.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>He's planning to be out catching waves again as soon as his foot is healed.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"He said to me, 'the chances of getting attacked by a shark is one in 3 million and what are the chances of getting attacked twice right?'" Bensley said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Judging by the colour of the fin, Oliver believes the shark might have been a bronze whaler, which struck his foot about 4.30pm on Good Friday.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"We were talking around having a religious presence in your life and I said 'your guardian angel's definitely working overtime for you today," his father said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY: </span></strong></em><em><span>Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via </span></strong></em><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></em></a><em><strong><span> and </span></strong></em><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a><em></em></li><li><em><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by </span></strong></em><a href="https://9.nine.com.au/8x987w" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></em></a><em></em></li><li><em><strong><span>Sign up to </span></strong></em><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine" rel="" target="" title=""><em><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></em></a><em></em></li></ul></div></div>