’16ft great white shark bit my leg off as it played tug of war with me’

WARNING: DISTRESSING FOOTAGE – Heather Boswell was only 19 when she went for a dip in the Pacific Ocean on her day off from work and ended up swimming for her life

A young researcher’s life was changed forever during what should have been a relaxing day off work at sea.

Heather Boswell, then 19, was a member of a research ship off the coast of Chile in 1994 when one day the crew decided to take advantage of the glorious weather by swimming in the Pacific Ocean. But the young woman became the victim of a horrific shark attack that was caught on camera in a home video, showing the sheer terror of the nightmare unfold in real time.

It was March 23 and the waters appeared calm, with nothing to suggest danger was anywhere close. Heather was enjoying a swim back to the boat when, without warning, a 16ft great white shark suddenly emerged from behind her.

screengrab of Heather Boswell being attacked by a shark
Heather Boswell had no chance of out swimming the beast (

Image:

Tracking Sharks/Youtube)

In a race for her life, the deadly predator caught up with her before grabbing her leg as she struggled to escape its jaws. A blood-curdling shriek could be heard as the shark mauled down on her limb and she yelled “help me!”

The sea turned a horrifying red. Yet despite the violence of the attack, Heather later revealed how surreal the moment felt. “It didn’t hurt at all, it was kind of like a puppy chewing on your finger,” she recalled.

On the disturbing footage, crew members can be seen desperately attempting to reach her, extending a broom handle in a frantic bid to pull her out of the water. Screams erupt all around as panic takes hold.

As they watch in horror, the shark strikes again, biting Heather a second time and dragging her beneath the surface. “Oh My God,” someone can be heard saying. Heather recalled the terrifying force of the attack.

The shocking footage was caught fully on camera (

Image:

Tracking Sharks/Youtube)

“I just remember it was really really rough, I felt like a ragged doll,” she said. “And then when he brought me back up, I didn’t feel pain then either, all I felt was a pop. “The shark bit most of my leg.”

Thankfully, a colleague managed to eventually grab her arms while another repeatedly struck the shark with a stick, forcing it to release her. Heather was hauled back onto the boat as her teammates looked on in shock at the full extent of what had just happened.

Unsatisfied, shark then tried to go for another swimming hanging off a ladder. Heather’s extraordinary survival story was later featured on the Discovery Channel’s Shark Week, bringing worldwide attention to her ordeal.

Years later, speaking on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Heather described the moment she realised she had lost her leg. She said: “When they were playing tug of war with the shark they reached down and grabbed my arms and pulled me but the shark still had a hold of my left leg.

“There was tug of war and I felt a pop. I thought ‘I hope my leg dislocated because if it didn’t it would be gone’ and I looked down and my leg was gone.”