Mark Rapley and his wife Chantelle Doyle were surfing at a beach on Saturday when a 6-1/2 foot to 10 foot shark attacked Doyle. She was bitten on her right leg.
Doyle was able to jump back on her board, but Rapley paddled to her side and attacked the shark.
"When you see the mother of your child, and your support, everything that's who you are, so you just react. You just 'get off that calf,' that's all I could think," Rapley said.
Rapley said he jumped onto the surf board that his wife was on, to "leverage punches sort of down onto (the shark)."
He added his wife was in good spirits in the hospital but said there was a long road to recovery.