Spear Fisher Captures Shark Attacking Him On Camera—300 Miles From Hospital

Spearfisher Josh Humbert suffered quite a bad shark attack in the South Pacific, leaving him with nerve damage and a difficult recovery ahead of him. "The single most important thing when spearfishing is to do it with a partner watching you," he told Newsweek. However, Humbert decided to go it alone and ended up being the victim of quite a frightening shark attack. In a video posted to Instagram that has received 175,000 views since it was first shared on November 27, Humbert shows the attack as it happened, revealing that he hadn't kept an eye on his surroundings as he went after a fish with his spear.

"Well, it finally happened," he said in the clip. "After decades of spearfishing here in the Tuamotus, successfully, I finally got bit by a shark." He explains in the video that he was 300 miles from any hospital and had to get airlifted out by the military. He said that some friends had already been spearfishing in the area, which meant that the sharks had already become alerted. He hit a fish with his spear while under the water, but the spear didn't penetrate it all the way through, so he had to take a second shot. "This is where I got cocky," he says, as he reveals that he failed to check his surroundings right before the shark attacked. He explained: "I think if I had done that, I could have identified the threat of the shark." Humbert told Newsweek: "I subsistence fish year round so I often don't have the luxury of buddy diving if I have to go by myself. On this day, however, I opted to hunt alone despite being with friends because we were hunting a relatively shallow spot (50' and less) inside the lagoon instead of on the outside or ocean side which tends to be sharkier.

"I could most likely have avoided the attack had I taken a beat and checked my surroundings before swimming up into open water. Had I identified sharks in the area I would have faced them and done what I could to fend them off with my spear. Instead I blindly swam up thinking I was getting away with it. My friends were near with several already in the boat." In a follow-up post, Humbert explains that he had lost the feeling in his foot which he was told was due to damage to the peroneal nerve. He has revealed that the experience has been "emotionally draining" and that he is on strong pain medications to help him sleep through the night amid the pain. While he has felt no significant improvements in his foot, he said in a recent post that he is remaining "optimistic and patient". The Tuamotu Archipelago is a set of French Polynesian islands in the South Pacific. According to Polynesia Paradise, a local travel agency, there are 20 species of shark in the region but the probability of an attack is low. People took to the comments of Humbert's initial video to share their reactions and well wishes. "That video is Insane! Shark bite in slow motion. You're amazing and I'm so thankful it wasn't a bigger shark!" said @getsatyad. Meanwhile, @caleb_loves_life commented: "Yikes! Glad you made it out ok! Hope you heal up quickly and completely!" "Good move pushing it away and reacting so fast, [it] probably saved your leg," @horriblehenry3 wrote. Has a dream vacation turned into a nightmare? Whether it's a missed flight or lost luggage, we want to hear about your travel disasters. Let us know via life@newsweek.com, and your story could be featured on Newsweek.