A pair of divers who found a 2m Tiger shark that had been stabbed have released footage of its rescue.
The shark had been left to die off a jetty at Woodman Point, south of Perth in Western Australia (scroll down for video).
At first Vivien Matson-Larkin and her friend Darcie Young thought the shark must be dead, but then they realised it was still breathing, although obviously weakened. When Ms Young turned it over, silt came from its gills.
"It'd been out of the water for too long and its oxygen had been depleted," Ms Matson-Larkin told WA Today.
Between them they helped the shark to rebalance itself, massaging it while it regained strength before coaxing it further out into the water. They then followed it for several minutes to ensure it was swimming safely.
According to the two divers there have been an increasing number of incidents in that area of sharks and other fish being stabbed or mutilated. They have previously encountered puffers and rays with their tails cut off.
A spokesman for the Department of Fisheries said that patrols around the Woodman Point area have been increased since the discovery of the injured shark and urged anyone witnessing the inhumane treatment of fish or any illegal fishing activities to report the matter through FishWatch.
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