69-year-old diver was looking for lobsters underwater when he felt a sudden pull and saw his foot in a shark’s mouth — and all hell broke loose

Some moments arrive without warning, throwing the mind into a spiral where instinct takes over and clarity fades. That’s exactly what unfolded for a fisherman diving for lobster off South Australia’s Limestone Coast earlier this week, as reported by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Thursday, March 26, 2026. Luke Kuhn, a 69-year-old fisherman, was searching for a lobster with his diving partner at Cape Jaffa, a spot they were familiar with. When they anchored, a seal was roaming around the boat; however, they did not pay much attention to it.

Kuhn had dived to a depth of about 12 meters when visibility decreased. After just 10 minutes of diving and a few meters of advance, he was attacked by a great white shark. This was not his first encounter, as he had already had three such experiences, but this time he described the incident as “all hell broke loose”, as reported by PEOPLE. While attempting to reach under the shelf for a cray, he felt something “very powerful” dragging him backwards along the ocean floor. “I looked over my shoulder, and my left foot was in his mouth. I was right next to his head,” the fisherman told later.

He somehow resisted enough to get his foot out of the shark’s mouth and rushed back towards his spot. The shark had not given up as it surfaced again for a second attempt to catch him. However, the 69-year-old escaped just in time and reached the surface to alert his diving partner. “I was in a bit of shock trying to work out what happened, but made my way to the top and just yelled to my mate to come get me,” Kuhn explained later. It was the most harrowing encounter the fisherman had had as compared to the earlier ones.

The news spread quickly, as the fisherman later received a call from his cousin, who lives in Switzerland. Having experienced similar encounters four times now, the experienced diver nicknamed “Lucky Luke” has decided to resume diving only when his shark-bite-resistant wetsuit arrives. This was also not the first attack by a shark that had happened off the Limestone Coast. A couple of months back, a shark had attacked a local man and a diver, Jason Wallace. Both of them had a narrow escape.

"This year alone, I have received more sightings empirically of white sharks, but that simply could be because Shark Watch is on the rise in the media at the moment,” said Shark Watch SA managing director Anton Covino. He also noted that the rise in sightings reported by Shark Watch SA is based on submissions from regular ocean-goers, which can skew the data and isn’t necessarily alarming. Still, it’s hard to call it anything but fortune for Luke, who once again walked away from a terrifying encounter, making his nickname “Lucky Luke” feel more fitting than ever. “All my mates who call me 'Lucky Luke' now have a new reason to do so,” said the 69-year-old fisherman. 

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