From the hospital in Perth, Australia, where he was treated after being bitten twice by a great white shark, Argentine Alejandro Travaglini recounted everything that happened before, during and after the shark attack that filled the world's press.

The following paragraphs contain a transcript of what he said in English to Channel 7 of Australia.

“There was a sighting earlier that morning. We all got out of the water, looked at it for a while and it looked like it was gone.

The reason why everyone went back into the water was probably because the shark had passed within a meter of the people who were surfing, at the time, there were about 10 people in the water and no one was attacked… We thought maybe the shark was not hungry at that time.

We got out of the water, drank some water, ate something and everyone started to come back. I thought about doing the same, the shark had moved, nobody could see it, there was nothing there.

Obviously it wasn't the right decision.

At one point, already in the water, a friend who was sitting about three or four meters away got scared by something and said, 'There it is,' and started paddling away from the area. I immediately started to do the same, I paddled towards the shore, but two seconds later I felt something grab me, bite my left leg and that's when the fight began.”

Asked how intense the bite was, the Argentine said: “It was very intense but I think the adrenaline took over and the pain wasn’t the main concern. Survival mode kicked in and all I could think about was getting rid of that damn thing and getting to shore.

I started using my board as a sort of shield, to keep him from biting me, but he turned around and bit me on the other leg. At that point I started yelling at him and telling him to go fuck himself. The board seemed to work, because I was pushing him away, I think I also threw a few punches and everything. The last thing I remember was a friend telling me to get rid of the board. I remember seeing the shark right in front of me, it opened its mouth, and all I thought about was sticking my board in there, taking off my leash, and swimming away.

Luckily, a wave came right where we were. I managed to catch it and bodysurf it towards the shore. Luckily, there were other surfers who helped me out of the water, applying two tourniquets with ropes, one on the upper part of each leg while they dragged me towards the shore. Good for them, I think if they hadn't come to help me the story would have been different.

They were very efficient, they put me on a board and when people saw what had happened they ran to help me and together they carried me up the hill, something that would have been very difficult without them.

I can't believe how fast it all happened. I'm lucky to be alive."

Referring to what people on the shore were telling him, Alejandro said: “Everyone was trying to make me stay calm and relaxed, to conserve my energy. Everyone was well organised and the helicopter came quickly. I am very grateful for that.

It was a long helicopter ride, at that point I was in a lot of pain and very sedated, the tourniquets became very annoying and I was thinking that if I fell asleep I would go to the other side. My head was not right at that time.”

A difficult phone call: “Pen

I know how to get in touch with my family and make sure they know that I love them and that I hoped I could make it through. I was fading pretty quickly at the time so I didn’t know if I was going to make it. A friend called my partner, it was a tough call but it was reassuring to talk to my kids, my mom, my family.”

On returning to the ocean: “It’s my passion, I love doing it and I’d obviously like to do it again. I’m pretty sure I’ll do it again but I think there will be a ghost from time to time popping into my mind… I’ll keep my feet out of the water next time.”

It’s a risk we all take, like walking down the street, there are cars out there and if you’re not careful you can get hit… It’s scary to think that a shark could come and bite you, but I think the rewards are worth the risk… Sometimes… You only live once.”

Alejandro ended his interview by thanking everyone involved in rescuing him, from those who helped on the beach, to the helicopter operators and the hospital staff.

According to the specialized media Stab, Alejandro was discharged yesterday and has already returned home. Another incident involving a shark occurred in the area on Tuesday in Western Australia, which keeps the situation quite tense in the area.