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Rodney Fox once tried to eye-gouge a great white shark as it dragged him to the sea floor - but now, 48 years later, he has forged a close bond with the ocean's most feared predator.
The respected filmmaker and conservationist was just 23 when he was attacked by a great white while competing in the South Australia Spearfishing Championship at Aldinga Beach, south of Adelaide, on December 8, 1963.
Some 462 stitches later, Fox is regarded as one of the luckiest shark attack survivors in the world.
The damage to his body was horrific - all his ribs were shattered on his left side, his diaphragm was punctured, lungs were ripped open, and his shoulder blade and artery were left exposed.
Fox's hand was also badly damaged when it went into the shark's mouth as he tried to push it away, and to this day he still has part of one of its teeth embedded in his wrist.
Rodney Fox cheated death in 1963 when he was attacked by a great white shark in South Australian waters
Despite the horrific attack, the filmmaker and conservationist has since dedicated 60 years of his life to protecting the feared ocean predators
He would have been forgiven for following other life pursuits following the brutal attack - but it only enhanced
