SYDNEY, Feb. 11 (UPI) -- An Australian navy diver taking part in a test of anti-terror devices in Sydney Harbor was mauled by a shark Wednesday morning.
The 31-year-old diver punched the shark, apparently driving it away, The Australian reported. But he was left with gouges on his right hand and thigh.
Ambulance officers who transported the diver to St. Vincent's Hospital said he was in "good humor" despite injuries described as very serious. At the hospital he spent two hours in surgery.
"I wouldn't be surprised, they are very tough buggers," Rear Adm. Nigel Coates, commander of the Australian Fleet, said.
"They are trained to deal with this sort of thing. We believe he punched the shark twice and it then disappeared. It was all over in a matter of seconds."
The day's diving exercises were canceled after the attack.
Coates said navy divers are underwater in Sydney Harbor almost every day. He said he hadn't heard of any previous shark attacks there.
