Brett Highlands’ first-hand graphic account of being mauled by a shark off Broome and living to tell the tale

It’s an amazing story of survival — fighting off a ferocious shark that was “just a wild animal attached to my arm”. Spearfisherman Brett Highlands was mauled by the 3m tiger shark while diving off Quandong Beach near Broome on Friday. “It was the chomping effect that I really felt,” the 48-year-old tells 7NEWS in an exclusive interview tonight. “Like a dog trying to get a grip of a bone. Just a wild animal attached to my arm.” In the incredible 7NEWS interview, Mr Highlands tells how he used his spear gun to stab the predator in the head before swimming backstroke with just one arm to the boat — then helping mates out of the water. He had deep bites to his forearm and hand and was flown to a Perth hospital for surgery. It was the third shark attack in the Broome region in six months. SEE THE FULL AMAZING INTERVIEW ON 7NEWS TONIGHT AT 6PM