The best beach I have been to, would

have to be a beach in Sikyon, Greece.

The water is beau�ful and crystal clear.

Even though there is no sand and it has

pebbles instead, I would s�ll say it is

the best beach.

The beau�ful beaches of Greece

The worst beach I have been to

would be Williamstown beach in

Australia. It is the worst because

the water has lots of rub-

bish in and out of the

water and some�mes

Williamstown

Beach,

Melbourne,

Australia

Have Your say at

www.deepdown

under.com

“I FELT an almighty

whack on the leg. I

didn't think too much

of it at first. It didn't

hurt.”

Paul de Gelder was a Navy clearance diver with a

reputa�on as one of the toughest of the tough.

It was rou�ne for him to swim long distances in the

middle of the night, o)en in shark infested waters.

Two years ago he was tes�ng new sonar equip-

ment in Sydney Harbour when he was a+acked by

a shark and pulled from the water, barely alive.

Surveying his injuries, he told his doctor 'Make me

a terminator'.

This week's program follows his recovery and the

twists and turns that followed.

It includes chilling footage of the a+ack, just re-

leased by the Navy exclusively for this program.

“I really didn’t feel it, it all went

pre+y numb to start with and it

didn’t actually start hur�ng ‘�ll I

got to the hospital. It felt like

ge2ng whacked in the leg by a

cricket bat.”

Find the full

story at

www.deepdow

nunder.com

“Half a second later I turned over, looked down to

check my leg and saw the huge grey head of a bull

shark, one of nature's most aggressive man-eaters.

What's more, I could see the upper row of its teeth

across my leg.

Its lip was pulled back and its mouth looked enor-

mous.

We must have stared at each other for about three

seconds but as soon as I recovered from the shock,

I started figh�ng for my life.

I couldn't seem to move my arm. It was pinned

down by my side. I hadn't realised my hand was al-

so in its mouth. I tried to stab it in the eyeball with

my other hand. I tried to push its nose, but my

hand just slid off, like pushing a slippery concrete

wall.”

“I FELT an almighty whack on

the leg. I didn't think too much

of it at first. It didn't hurt.”

I pulled back my le) arm and punched the shark as

hard as I could on the nose.

It started shaking me like a dog would a rag doll.

The shark pulled me down under the water, con�n-

uing to shake me.

The second �me I went under I could only see bub-

bles in front of my face.

I no longer felt any pain. I couldn't do anything. I

was totally helpless. Everything was quiet. There

was just a deep silence.

And then, just as suddenly, the shark was gone.

His injuries were horrific. The shark had been

ea�ng him alive.

Doctors amputated Able Seaman de Gelder's right

forearm and leg and then came the biggest ba+le

of all: learning to live, walk and work again.

A)er two months in hospital, he went home.

I went into my bedroom, sat down on the bed, put

my head down and just bawled my eyes out. It's

the only �me, apart from straight a)er the opera-

�on when I was in so much pain, that I really cried.

What do you

think about this?

www.deepdownunder.com

Pollu�on in the ocean is a major problem

that is affec�ng the ocean and the of the

Earth, too. Pollu�on in the ocean directly

affects the ocean organisms and indirectly

affects human health and resources. Oil

spills, toxic wastes, and dumping of other

harmful materials are all major sources of

pollu�on in the ocean. People should learn

more about these because if people know

more about pollu�on in the ocean, then they

will know more about how to stop pollu�on

WOW!!

At what point did you decide to make a career out of surfing?

I decided at the age of 15 that I was going to be a world cham-

pion. I had no idea what was required of me to achieve that

goal but I wanted it bad enough to sacrifice everything in my

life to turn the dream into a reality. It was important for me to

become the best in the world and when you focus on some-

thing long enough, you eventually make it happen.

What mo#vates you today?

I'm mo�vated to improve and find new and challenging ways

to achieve different things in my life. From surfing to business,

there is always so much to learn.

Did you always have a strong desire to succeed when you

were growing up?

I was a very compe��ve kid and loved to challenge myself so I

don't think success was as important to me growing up as it

was to have a go and challenge myself. Through that explora-

�on and experience I was able to iden�fy what I was good at

and then focus on becoming successful at it.

What is your proudest career moment?

Winning my first event back in 1993 gave me the belief that I

could win not only events, but world �tles. If I can go on and

beat the best girls in the world once, then there is nothing

stopping me from doing it again and again. It is that persever-

ance and commitment that enable me to consistently achieve

the goals I con�nue to set myself.

What do you think is the key to your success?

There are several – a strong work ethic, for a start. I'm certainly

not afraid of hard work and spending hours preparing and

training and doing my research. Suppor�ve friends and family,

and plenty of counsel through coaches and trained profession-

als have been great for me. Commitment to doing my best

along with self-belief and a love for what I do are all important

to me too.

What is Beachley Athle#c Wear, and what sort of clothes do

you design?

Beachley Athle�c is a brand for women that supports women.

Our second range is currently available na�onwide in selected

Kmart stores and it features ac�ve and performance wear, yo-

ga wear and swim wear. A lot of inspira�on is drawn from the

style of clothing I like to train and perform in with a lot of con-

sidera�on for quality, fit, func�on and comfort.

What is your company's mo(o?

Beachley Athle�c is a partner of my Aim for the Stars

Founda�on and the mo+o for the founda�on is

'Dream, Pursue, Achieve'. Through my brand and my

ac�ons I want to encourage and inspire women to

have a go. To dare to dream, encourage them to pur-

sue their passions and inspire them to achieve. That

mo+o was instrumental to my success as a profes-

sional athlete so it made sense to use it for my com-

pany.

What is your main piece of advice for young people?

Focus on what you want out of life as opposed to

what you don't want. Be posi�ve, be prepared to ask

for help and allow mistakes to be learning experienc-

es. I have learned a lot more from my losses than I

have from my victories.