28 Year old Denver Struwig held his breath and in his mind he kept his prayer short. This is good because the bible commends us not to be verbose. Mat 6:7 “And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words” Denver was in a private place to pray which is also in line with scripture. The bad part was the private place was in the jaws of a shark, pinned to the sand at the bottom of the ocean. The shark was shaking him like a rag doll. This was the second half of an aggressive shark attack on Denver and he knew he was going to die.
It all started on Denver’s first day back home from honeymoon, 22 July 2011, back at Chintsa East. This idyllic resort village lies just 40km east of East London along the coast heading towards Durban. 
Denver and his new wife Kristy had just returned from honeymoon. They had only been married 21 days. It was a glorious sunny day with a crystal sky, warm 18 degree Celsius water and light offshore winds. Chintsa beach was on form and the local surfers had been enjoying good waves for the previous couple of weeks. Denver and Kristy paddled out together and were enjoying surfing with about 8 other surfers. It was 11am in the middle of a perfect morning and life was good. They had no idea of the horror that was about to unfold.
As Denver and Kristy’s surf session moved on, the crowd dwindled as surfers got out of the water. Kristy caught her final wave of the morning and went in, waiting on the beach with a friend and watching Denver, she expected him soon to come in. Two will become one flesh, so much in love, she was enjoying a beautiful day at the beach with her husband. Her nightmare was about to begin, right before her eyes. She would witness the whole attack. A tough ask for a new wife to watch her husband and think of his death.
Only three surfers were still in the water at the time. Denver saw the shark appear in front of him as he was facing the horizon. He was lying down on the board. The shark was roughly in a 12 o clock position relative to him, and too close to try paddle away. He sat up on his board, quickly and quietly so that he could maintain eye contact, steeling his nerve and getting his mind ready for the “Greg Emslie stare down” Trying to paddle away in a splashing panic is a sure guarantee that you will be attacked.
Denver was still facing 12h00 but the shark disappeared under the water. The beast was gone. Its first attack hit him from underneath. The shark had submerged and turned and gone away to Denver’s left before it turned again and made its attack. The shark came at Denver from about a 9h00 position like a bullet. He never even saw it coming. It ignored his left leg which would have been closest, swam past and bit into his right leg coming in upwards, under his right thigh, knee, shin and calf. The shark lifted Denver up out of the water and threw him over backwards onto his back into the water, severing his leash and separating him from his surfboard at the same time. Scarlet billows of blood colored the water instantly while Denver tried to get his bearings.
Immediately the shark attacked him a second time. This time the beast came from behind. It launched out of the water and took him over his left shoulder, neck, back and chest and punched him down to the sandy sea bottom. It pinned him on the sand and shook him like a bulldog with a bone. Denver knew for sure he was dead and only one prayer came to his mind “Dear God forgive me” He knew he had less than a minute to live and he was on his way to his Creator.
The strange thing is how many prayers could have come to Denver’s mind? God save me? Christ help me get out of here? God help me get my fingers in this things eye? God make this thing let go?Looking death in the face, God chose to remind Denver of his sin and His forgiveness. (For all have fallen short of the glory of God) Denver was completely aware of his situation and accepted his death as a fact “God forgive me” The prayer was clear and it was the only thing that came to his mind. Incredibly in its second and usually final attack, the shark let go. When a shark comes back after its first hit, you are not in a good place.
I am hesitant to call Denver’s story a miracle but there is such an unreasonable sequence of small blessings in what has happened to him that you have to but wonder about the hand of God in saving him:
1. The shark let go in its second attack.
2. Denver’s friend in the water with him was Eric Harris, an oil rig trained first aid dive medic. Frightfully brave, Eric retrieved Denver’s surfboard after the shark severed the leash and paddled back into the attack, through billows of blood, to reunite Denver with his surfboard. He paddled in with Denver, encouraging him all the way and was on hand for “golden minute” treatment.
3. Lloyd Staples owner of the local ‘Barefoot Cafe’ restaurant was on the beach and phoned friend/surfer/owner Shaun Price of Buccaneers Resort and called for help. Lloyd had a phone and Shaun got the call! What if Lloyd was not there or Shaun did not get the call? Shaun is a walking switchboard of a sort and a one man triage center.
4. Shaun has a shark attack kit at his resort. He dispatched a runner with the kit to the beach.
5. Shaun phoned a local doctor. It was her day off. She was at home resting in Chintsa East. What if she was on duty in town 45 minutes away? She was right in the resort and bolted for the beach.
6. Local fisherman Mark Drake was on the beach. He is one of the very few people who has a key for the gate and a 4×4 for the single and only, severely restricted access on to Chintsa East Beach. The attack scene is 500m from the car park. “Those boys are going to need some help” he thought and he ran for his 4×4. Question: What if Mark had been away fishing?
7. Denver has no medical aid. How easy is it to wind up dead at State emergency medical services or bleed to death in a queue while filling in acknowledgement forms of unlimited debt before any doctor will operate? Shaun Price rode with Denver to the finest emergency medical attention money can buy. Beacon Bay Life Emergency Hospital, East London. He walked in holding his credit card aloft. Blessing number seven: Shaun Price is a man of financial means and he spoke to the doctors in a language they can understand before they dabbed their first swab. Because of his means, business acumen and timing, the doctors were able to keep their bills to a minimum. Try asking for a discount after the bill is presented. The financial triage was under control from the get go.
8. Denver’s trauma was massive and his lacerations were chaotic. The crazy blessing though was that every major artery was missed by the thickness of a prayer. Another mm here or another mm there and he would have been a gonner. Crazy as well, even though the shark had grabbed him over his upper torso, no lung was punctured. Both hands and both feet had lacerations and his right leg was savaged. Somewhere along the line the shark even took a number of bites into the tail of Denver’s surfboard.
Still though, relatively speaking he came out smelling like the proverbial rose. 9. Shaun, Greg Emslie and the Chintsa community, east and west, the East London (Border) surfing community and Surfing South Africa rallied to have a fund raising function at the Chintsa Country Bumpkin Family Restaurant. Support was unprecedented. Whamo! Denver’s bills were cleared in one fell swoop. Even after funds were allocated for recovery physiotherapy there was money left over. A small slush of funds were channeled back to the Surfing South Africa shark attack fund. The cup was filled to full measure, pressed and shaken down and still, some spilled over. Shalom or what?
Denver’s recovery has been radical and complete. 60 days later he was back in the water for his first surf, albeit at Nahoon Beach some 40km away.
So yes sharks do some times let go, some people are first aid trained and cell phones can link the right people quickly….. and yes there are doctors and 4×4′s and gates and keys and… and?… But nine blessings back to back, perfectly timed, weighted, measured, sequenced and in a row? That is a triple hat trick, a pretty crazy number of small mercies in a row to attribute to chance? Calling a miracle is not unreasonable. God’s grace and mercy is unfathomable. It is miraculous what God can do with a tiny prayer “God forgive me”
This is the most insane story. All these blessings waiting for suffering in order to create meaning. Totally stoked right now and builds my faith and gives me meaning in my suffering… Thank you God, thank you….flip… stoked…
Comment by Den — February 9, 2012 @ 2:20 pm
Flip,
This is SUCH a powerful and hectic story! God rocks. BIG TIME!
Comment by Bruce — February 9, 2012 @ 3:56 pm
Bless you Den your comments inspired me. Roy Harley
Comment by Roy — February 9, 2012 @ 6:12 pm
Wow !!that’s awesome!!!
Comment by Rosanna lynch — February 9, 2012 @ 11:30 pm
But,erm, sorry,IF you believe all this, and he is a fortunate lad, then god willed the shark to bite him in the first place, right? hey Nick! get in touch bro!
Comment by Mcstrange — February 10, 2012 @ 12:10 pm
What an inspiring story, relay well written! God is Good!
Comment by Johann Latsky — February 10, 2012 @ 12:11 pm
Mcstrange your comment reminds me of a story
An old farmer who had worked his crops for many years. One day his horse ran away. Upon hearing the news, his neighbors came to visit. “Such bad luck,” they said sympathetically. “May be,I don’t know we’ll have to see” the farmer replied. The next morning the horse returned, bringing with it three other wild horses. “How wonderful,” the neighbors exclaimed. “May be,I don’t know we’ll have to see,” replied the old man. The following day, his son tried to ride one of the untamed horses, was thrown, and broke his leg. The neighbors again came to offer their sympathy on his misfortune. “May be,I don’t know we’ll have to see,” answered the farmer. The day after, military officials came to the village to draft young men into the army. Seeing that the son’s leg was broken, they passed him by. The neighbors congratulated the farmer on how well things had turned out. “May be,I don’t know we’ll have to see,” said the farmer………….
There’s a story that’s unfolding. We are just to praise God as it unfolds for all things because scripture tells us in Romans 8:28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Comment by imaliveagain — February 10, 2012 @ 12:56 pm
Come on, what happens next? The point I was making, which seems to elude many is that IF we regard the incredible sequence of events that led to his survival as miraculous then, by logical extension we have to regard god as having told or allowed the shark to bite him in the first place. I don’t find that an appealing idea. Stuff happens, The idea that god will mess around with you by getting you bitten and, well, you get the idea. He can be happy he wasn’t surfing second beach…
Comment by Mcstrange — February 11, 2012 @ 9:06 am
Hi Pete Mcstrange. Long time no see buddy. Good to hear from you. What you doing surveying Christian surfer websites ? Where are you ? Still teaching english ? Anyway, yes I believe that God allows many a calamity to pass, be it mud slides, earthquakes, floods or shark attacks but if we call on him in those times he will be in them with us. God also has liberty to answer “no” in our prayers so you may well pray for healing from cancer and still die. Like Shadrack, Mishak and Abednego “Our God can save us, but even if he does not, we will still worship him”
For readers who do not know – Mcstrange and I were digs mates at varsity. He is a beaut. Quirky sense of humor and always up for a bit of mental sparing.
Comment by nick pike — February 15, 2012 @ 10:39 am
I had a hindu friend, who believed in a completely different set of gods, who also survived thanks to a few good things that fell into place. Using your logic, I have now switched to Hinduism. Also, if your god was real, Denver would never have been bitten in the first place.
Comment by CRZ — February 16, 2012 @ 8:52 am
Maybe next time he can take some time out from saving Denver and dedicate some time to the whole anopholes mosquito thing. A “sequence of small blessings” seems such a waste of your god’s immense talent. Malaria kills millions every year, and puts many millions more through absolute untold misery. If your god had stepped up to the plate with malaria, just admitted that the parasite that lives in the anopholes mosquito wasn’t his greatest moment, then that would be worth blogging about. Not this nonsense.
Comment by Who made the sharks — February 16, 2012 @ 2:33 pm
could you also perhaps tell us who made what animals
For example
sharks: SATAN!
butterflies: god
T-Rex: Satan
Puppies: God
etc
Please use references where possible.
Comment by Who made the sharks — February 16, 2012 @ 2:36 pm
I really want to thank all who have commented so far on this post. As is plain to see not all are in agreement.
In response may I submit the following.
We may all have different world views and perspectives on things. Mine whilst you may not agree with it is that there is a God a wonderful all powerful all knowing and ever present God. A God who gave us the freedom to choose or reject him, to love him or hate him, to accuse him or be amazed at his grace and mercy. A God who knew we would reject him but a God who loved us none the less. A God who is just as likely to care for and do good to even those who don’t care for him or believe in him. A God who deeply cares for all people, so much in fact that he joined us in the Person of Jesus. He wept at the sight of a mother who lost her son. He touched the lepers societal outcasts. He comforted his friends and challenged religious and political leaders to look beyond themselves to the people that they lead. A God who challenged our thoughts and concepts and molded a different way. A God who allowed himself to be beaten mocked spat on ridiculed and crucified. I wonder if we had the power of a super hero would we do this or would we enact revenge. A God who would absolutely answer the prayers of some one caught in the Jaws of a Shark as they cry out for forgiveness! Yes this is my God and Yes this is what I believe.
Here is a quote from an ancient piece of wisdom literature about 2000 years old. Its amazing how much it seems from my perspective to apply to today.
1 Corinthians 1:18
The Message (MSG)
18-21The Message that points to Christ on the Cross seems like sheer silliness to those hellbent on destruction, but for those on the way of salvation it makes perfect sense. This is the way God works, and most powerfully as it turns out. It’s written,
I’ll turn conventional wisdom on its head,
I’ll expose so-called experts as crackpots.
So where can you find someone truly wise, truly educated, truly intelligent in this day and age? Hasn’t God exposed it all as pretentious nonsense? Since the world in all its fancy wisdom never had a clue when it came to knowing God, God in his wisdom took delight in using what the world considered dumb—preaching, of all things!—to bring those who trust him into the way of salvation.
Comment by Roy — February 16, 2012 @ 3:33 pm
WOW. What a story. Well written and wonderful!
Comment by Heather Auer — February 16, 2012 @ 3:55 pm
The consequence of living in a fallen world is that bad things are going to happen. It was not that God planned for the shark to attack denver but that He knew it was going to happen and He was with him WHEN it happened!! Yes, in His sovereignty he could have stopped it but instead God chose to use the incident to bless denver in SO many ways; In his marriage, his friendships, the display of His provision and most importantly His Faith! I believe God has command over all living things and that he was in control throughout the attack- when He spoke and said enough is enough the shark let go!
All praise to God for His power and protection! Psalm 23.
thanks for the article nick!
Comment by bellavista — February 18, 2012 @ 1:59 pm
Maybe the shark was taking his cue from the bible?
2. Deuteronomy 25:11-12 NASB
If two men, a man and his countryman, are struggling together, and the wife of one comes near to deliver her husband from the hand of the one who is striking him, and puts out her hand and seizes his genitals, then you shall cut off her hand; you shall not show pity.
Lucky there were no foreigners on the beach that day
However, you may purchase male or female slaves from among the foreigners who live among you. You may also purchase the children of such resident foreigners, including those who have been born in your land. You may treat them as your property, passing them on to your children as a permanent inheritance. You may treat your slaves like this, but the people of Israel, your relatives, must never be treated this way. (Leviticus 25:44-46 NLT)
The bible, the book of love!
When a man strikes his male or female slave with a rod so hard that the slave dies under his hand, he shall be punished. If, however, the slave survives for a day or two, he is not to be punished, since the slave is his own property. (Exodus 21:20-21 NAB)
Comment by N — February 22, 2012 @ 11:57 pm
Hi None at None
Thank you for your post and for that hilarious scripture. Apparently it seems that a wife grabbing another mans genitals during a wrestling match was an issue over 4000 years ago. Maybe it was this that gave rise to the modern concept of wearing underwear? What your scriptures point to is that the Bible, being an ancient book, has a context. Ironically in response to your comments on Slavery, the fact that there were social and moral obligations on the Jewish nation, in terms of how they handled slaves over 4000 years ago, was far more gracious and progressive than regular society, who had absolutely no guidelines when dealing with slaves, who were seen as mere possessions.
Using a 4000 year old, obscure scripture to claim that the bible does not maintain love as one of its central precepts is, may I say, a little out of CONTEXT.
Perhaps if we were to consider the topic of God and love, it may be good to look at the Person of Jesus, who when questioned about the greatest commandment in Scripture stated that it was to Love the Lord your God with your all, and then made the revolutionary statement of his day stating that the second was like it and that was to love your neighbour. When questioned about who our neighbour was, he told an interesting story about a racially and religiously segregated society in which the “Good neighbour was the Samaritan” thus our current English expression being a “good Samaritan”
If you want to talk about love, what about Jesus who commanded us to love our enemy (Mathew 5:43) and who showed his commitment to this precept by allowing himself to be hung on a Roman Cross for a crime he didn’t commit all so that you and I could reconnect with God.
Perhaps you have heard of William Wilberforce? He was a follower of this Jesus and his revolution of Love. It was his life’s work to abolish slavery, as in his opinion it was an abomination to God. Or John Newton, an ex slave trader, who when confronted with this Jesus realised what he had done and wrote possibly the most famous Hymn of all time “Amazing Grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me, I once was lost but now am found. Was blind but now I see”
Comment by Roy — February 24, 2012 @ 2:42 pm