A brave eight-year-old boy survived a vicious shark bite requiring 30 stitches after punching his attacker on the nose.
Napat Chaiyarak Christenko was playing in the ocean on Kamala beach in Phuket, Thailand on Sunday (May 1) when he was attacked by a shark.
The youngster screamed in pain before trying to kick away the creature before thumping it on the head, he later told police officers.
Onlookers watched Napat's terrified parents drag him up from the water as blood gushed from the wound on his right calf, where he was treated by lifeguards then paramedics at the scene.
He was then rushed to the Bangkok Hospital Phuket, where he told doctors it was the most painful thing he had ever felt.
It was reported that the Napat - who may have been mistaken for a fish by his predator - was accompanied by his parents at the time of the incident.
He had been playing in water approximately one metre deep when he was bitten.
Doctors initially thought he was bitten by a barracuda or sea pike, however it was later confirmed as the bite of a bull shark measuring around one metre long.
Napat told rescue workers that he had spotted the shark approaching in murky water, and that he retaliated by punching the shark after it bit him.
This, he says, appeared to cause the shark to swim away from the shore.
Napat is now recovering from his injuries, while town officials in Phuket - one of Thailand's most popular backpacking destinations - have ordered lifeguards to remain vigilant.
The risk of shark attacks in Thailand is "extremely rare", with only four being recorded in the country's history.
And although a search was launched to find the shark, it was never discovered, while signs have been erected along the beach warning people to keep an eye out for any dangers.
The attack comes as Thai authorities are battling to maintain the shark numbers off the nation's coast as populations decrease.
Thai Government officials have reportedly assured Napat's mum that "everything possible" is being done to respond to any potential danger of locals and tourists using the beaches on the island.
Before travel was disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic, the nation's beaches reportedly attracted up to 10 million visitors every year.
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