An Australian surfer saved his wife from a great white shark attack by leaping on the predator's back and repeatedly punching until it let go

• An Australian man saved his wife as her right leg was being bitten by a shark at Shelly Beach, southeastern Australia, on Saturday morning, according to multiple reports.
• He jumped onto the shark's back, a juvenile great white, and punched it repeatedly until it let go of his wife, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.
• He then took her to shore, where bystanders on the beach administered first aid until an air ambulance took her to the hospital, the BBC reported. She is now in stable condition.
• It is the third shark attack on New South Wales' northern coast in two months. A 15-year-old boy died from a shark attack in the wider region last month.

An Australian man managed to save his wife from a shark attack by jumping off his surfboard and punching the shark repeatedly until it went away, according to multiple reports.

The attack by a juvenile great white shark occurred on Saturday morning at Shelly Beach in Port Macquarie, a coastal town in Australia's southeastern New South Wales state, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

The predator — which measured about two to three meters long — was biting Chantelle Doyle, 35, on her right leg, the BBC reported. Daily Mail Australia said that the shark attacked Doyle's right calf and back of her thigh.

At this moment, her husband — whom local media identified as Mark Rapley — leaped of his surfboard, jumped onto the shark's back, and punched it repeatedly until it let his wife go, The Sydney Morning Herald and Daily Mail Australia reported.

He then helped her ashore, at which point bystanders on the beach assisted with first aid before medics airlifted her to the hospital and required surgery, the BBC reported.

"This fella paddled over and jumped off his board onto the shark and hit it to get it to release her and then assisted her back into the beach," Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

"Pretty full-on, really heroic."

It marked the third shark attack on New South Wales' northern coast, where Shelly Beach is located, in the past two months, Nine News Sydney reported. A 15-year-old boy died from a shark attack near Coffs Harbour, about 300 miles from Shelly Beach, in July.