Like biblical Jonah, man swallowed alive by great white shark reveals what it was like to be trapped inside

A diver has revealed what it was like to be swallowed head-first and whole by a great white shark.

Eric Nerhus, from Eden, Australia, was diving near the reefs at Cape Howard in New South Wales in January 2007 looking for abalone, a type of edible sea snail, when the killer beast approached him.

The seasoned diver, who was 41 at the time, found himself inside the stomach of the 10-foot-long shark as its piercing teeth sunk into his flesh.

The creature then tried to swallow him whole, crushing his head and chest, which were luckily protected by his heavy diving gear.

ADVERTISEMENT

Speaking about being inside the shark, he said: “One minute it was daylight, the next second everything went black.

“Inside the jaws, it was just dark, I couldn’t see anything because I was looking down the back of his throat. I’ve never experienced anything like it.”

He further described how he escaped the shark’s clutches.

Eric told Nine Network News at the time: “Half my body was in its mouth. I felt down to the eye socket with my two fingers and poked them into the socket.

“The shark reacted by opening its mouth and I just tried to wriggle out. It was still trying to bite me. It crushed my goggles into my nose and they fell into its mouth.

“I’ve never felt fear in my life like what I felt in the jaws of that white pointer. “I went straight into its mouth, front onwards. Half my body was in its throat. It was like being in a dark cave.”

He wriggled out and swam to the surface where he was helped back onto his boat by his son as the shark circled.

Co-worker Dennis Luobikis praised Eric’s bravery and described how he escaped.

He said: “He pushed his abalone chisel into the shark’s head while it was biting, and it let him go and swam away.

“Eric is a tough boy – he’s super fit. But I would say that would test anyone’s resolve, being a fish lunch.”