A German surfer doesn't know what left him with strange bite marks on his foot after leaving a Sydney beach.
Mike Ruttkowski, 28, was enjoying the waves at South Steyn in Manly on Wednesday night when his evening took a strange turn.
"Something just grabbed me from behind and on my foot, and just bit me for, like, two or three seconds," he told 7 News.
- Man attacked by shark off Northland beach
- Giant great white shark caught off Sydney's popular Maroubra beach
- 'I just started screaming': Kiwi surfer recalls shark attack in Northland
Mr Ruttkowski emerged from the water limping, with strange bites on his right foot. He noticed blood streaming from the wounds.
The bite felt like "a lot of pressure", he recalls, adding that it "was like stepping into a trap or something".
The beach was closed by lifeguards on Wednesday night, and the following day beachgoers were told to enter the surf at their own risk.
While the bite marks show characteristics of a shark bite, no one has been able to confirm what the creature was that bit Mr Ruttkowski.
Last week a giant great white shark was caught in nets just off the coast of Marouba beach in Sydney. Taronga Zoo's Australian Shark Attack File says 18 attacks have occurred in Australia this year.
Many Sydney beaches are surrounded by mesh netting which acts to protect beachgoers from sharks. They are also fitted with whale alarms and dolphin pingers which deter animals.
But paramedics told Mr Ruttkowski he may have been bitten by a moray eel. The species can grow up to three metres long and are known to be aggressive and territorial.
Regardless of what the mystery creature is, the keen German surfer said nothing would stop him from returning to the ocean.
Newshub.
