An Australian surfer has been left with a huge hole in his nose after a fish impaled his face while he was out at sea in Indonesia.
Steve Kezic was on a surfing expedition at Playground Surf Resort in the Mentawai Islands when the sharp beak of the garfish wedged in his nose and nearly speared out his eyes.
The man from Perth first thought one of his mates was "having a prank" and throwing seaweed at him.
He said: “But a moment later I realised there was a fish in my face.”
The beak of the 30-centimetre-long garfish flew out of the water and its sharp needle nose pierced the cartilage of his nose, missing his eyes by mere centimetres.
He continued: "I can't believe I have a fish in my face, I looked down and I saw all the blood. I felt the slap of the fish and I could see a little bit through my nose.
"It was really lucky I didn't lose my eyesight because I just turned and the garfish came right across. If it was a fraction higher it would have taken my eyes out."
Fortunately, one of his fellow surfers, Doctor Kyle Kophamel, is a doctor and set up an impromptu surgery station at the resort.
The procedure took an hour and now he is recovering remarkably well.
He told Perth Now: "I’ve always had a sense of humour, so I can’t help but not make a joke about it now! But I was incredibly lucky for Kyle. He saved me from a world of trouble."
Garfish are typically most active at night as they can be startled by light and jump out of the water.
However, locals reported seeing garfish schools active during the day in the days before Mr Kazic's injury.
