Here’s how a fast-thinking Australian surfer survived a harrowing shark attack: ‘It was a bit of a miracle’

An Australian surfer is fortunate to be alive after a run-in with a shark — but his surfboard wasn’t so lucky.

Dale Kittow was surfing at Cheynes Beach in Western Australia Wednesday afternoon when a shark rushed towards him, leaving the quick-thinking dad to use his board to fend off the predator.

“I just sat on my board and it circled me a few times before it charged at me,” Kittow, 37, told 9 News Australia.

“I jumped off the back and shoved the board in its face and had a bit of a tussle with it.”

The creature — assumed to be an almost 10-foot bronze whaler — then bit into the board, taking out a large chunk of its fiberglass material.

“I jumped off the back of my board and put it in between me and the shark. The shark bit into the board,” he told the outlet.