He was surfing at the holiday resort Uilenkraalsmond near Gansbaai which is popular with shark cage divers.
He was attacked in chest deep water about 100 metres from shore. The shark grabbed his right foot and lifted him out the water.
He told the newspaper:
...that a 3m-long shark lifted him into the air and shook him like a rag.
"It felt as though my foot was going to be ripped off.
"I tried to knock it away from me and also attempted to push my finger into its eye.
"It then suddenly let go of me and I could get onto my surfboard, which was fastened to my left leg."
According to Van Zyl he was then able to reach the beach safely with the aid of a big breaker.
"That wave saved my life," he said later.
A man on the beach went to his aid and called his parents. He was taken to a local surgery and then transferred by Red Cross helicopter to Groote Schuur hospital in Cape Town where he had emergency surgery to his Achilles tendon.
His injury was said to be minor.
Source: News24.com
