 was just metres away from the 14ft shark (circled in red) Credit: Nine 4 The dad-of-two lost one of his legs after battling with the shark for half a minute Credit: Nine The haunting snap shows the 44-year-old on the top right corner just metres away from the shark - unaware of the horror that would unfold. Cops confirmed Tony, an former on-call firefighter, tried battling with the giant animal for half a minute. 'The reports are that a man has tried to fight this shark for 30 seconds and has then swum himself to shore where he has realised he has sustained significant lower leg injuries,' NSW Police Chief Inspector Martin Burke said. 'From what I understand, it was a sustained and prolonged attack.' Tony was left with life-changing injuries and remains in a critical but stable condition at Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital, news.com.au reports. The dad-of two lost one leg after the attack and underwent a second surgery to try and save his other leg. Tacking Point Surf Lifesaving Club, which manages Lighthouse Beach, announced at around 11.30am on Friday the beach had been closed. 'Please be aware that Lighthouse Beach is currently closed due to a shark attack,' the club wrote on Facebook. 'Non-fatal (attack), thank goodness, but please stay out of the water.' A teenage girl who witnessed the attack said the man's foot had been 'ripped off' and he was 'bleeding everywhere'. 'They were trying to talk to him, he was silent, he was frozen,' she told NBN. 'They tried to tie his leg with the leg rope from the surfboard and some sticks to keep it straight.' Tony's family broke their silence on Saturday with a Facebook post written by his brother-in-law, Chris Lenihan. He said that a){kind=link}
THIS is the chilling picture taken moments before a surfer lost his leg in a horror great white shark attack.
What appeared to be a tiny ripple in the water turned out to be the 14ft beast preparing to attack Tony Begg off Lighthouse Beach, in New South Wales, Australia.
The haunting snap shows the 44-year-old on the top right corner just metres away from the shark – unaware of the horror that would unfold.
Cops confirmed Tony, an former on-call firefighter, tried battling with the giant animal for half a minute.
“The reports are that a man has tried to fight this shark for 30 seconds and has then swum himself to shore where he has realised he has sustained significant lower leg injuries,” NSW Police Chief Inspector Martin Burke said.