A 17-year-old boy has survived a shark attack off WA's south coast, saying he owes his life to his mate who piggybacked him 2km across the rocks.
Warning: This article contains images some people may find distressing.
Luke Pascoe was spearfishing off Mistaken Island near Goode Beach, south of Albany, on Monday when he was bitten by what he believes was a 5m great white shark.
His friend Conner Shirley quickly jumped into action.
"Conner was the one that helped me up onto the rock and he piggybacked me 2km along the rocks back to the car and drove me to hospital," Luke said.
"I owe my life to him. I was lying in bed last night and I was thinking to myself how lucky I am to still be here."
Conner said he made a makeshift tourniquet from his dive belt to stem Luke's blood loss.
"First aid at school actually taught me a couple of things," Conner said.
"It mainly started to bleed when I got him out of the water."
'More my fault than the shark's'
Luke suffered three lacerations to his lower legs, which were still bandaged on Tuesday.
He told the ABC he had shot a fish while diving in 10m-deep water, which attracted the shark.
The predator then took a chunk out of Luke as he rose to the surface.
Speaking from Albany Health Campus on Tuesday, Luke said he was "a bit sore" but in good spirits.
Luke said he could not feel the pain through the shock immediately after the attack, but there had been a lot of pressure surrounding the wounds.
Luke's father Lloyd Pascoe said he was proud of the resilience shown by his son and the quick-thinking and initiative shown by Conner.
Luke said he knew the risks of diving and he was not angry at the shark.
"It's more my fault than the shark's fault," he said.
He said he would be focusing on rehabilitation for the foreseeable future but was still keen to get back into the water.
