Paul de Gelder Shares Reflections on Life After Grisly Shark Attack

Paul de Gelder poses on Sydney Harbour in Sydney, Australia., on Nov. 13, 2013. Cameron Spencer/Getty Images

Paul de Gelder, a former diver in the Australian Navy, came face to face with death in February 2009. During a routine counter-terrorism training exercise, conducted near Garden Island in Australia’s Sydney Harbour, the then 31-year-old was ravaged by a nine-foot bull shark, resulting in the loss of his right leg and part of his right arm.

Mr. de Gelder subsequently embarked on a grueling months-long recovery process and was fitted with a prosthetic hand and leg—a riveting journey he documented in his 2011 memoir “No Time for Fear: How a Shark Attack Survivor Beat the Odds.”

After leaving the Navy the following year, Mr. de Gelder went on to become an accomplished motivational speaker, youth mentor, actor, and television personality, regularly starring on the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week” programming.

Since the release of his debut novel, the 47-year-old has also authored a handful of other books, including “Big Red Bruce: The Kangaroo Who Lost His Tail.” Released in July of last year, the children’s book is “a story about acquired disabilities and how good friends and determination can overcome any challenge,” explained Mr. de Gelder.

However, despite his remarkable life story and impressive accomplishments, the Navy veteran maintains a humble demeanor to this day.

“I don’t think anything I’ve done is particularly special,” he told The Epoch Times in a recent interview.

“We all go through hard times and my story isn’t any better, bigger, or more important than anyone else’s. It’s just a bit different and I’ve learnt to tell it well and weave life lessons into it when I present on stage,” he continued, referencing the countless keynote speeches he’s given at venues around the world.

“I simply did what I needed to do to survive and lead a good life,” he said.

Overcoming Adversity

Before serving in the Navy, Mr. de Gelder, who now resides in Los Angeles, was a paratrooper in the Australian Army, where he learned the mantra, “Improvise, Adapt, Overcome.” Mr. de Gelder embraced the powerful motto while he was fighting to recover from his horrific injuries.

“When I was laying in my hospital bed looking at my missing leg and missing hand, I was very, very afraid that I had lost my value, my purpose, my worth to anyone from the opposite sex, and even to myself,” he recalled. “It was not an easy time, but in those very complicated moments, I would try to keep it as simple as possible and just look at my options. Good life, or bad life? Then I worked it out from there—improvise, adapt, overcome.”

Mr. de Gelder partially ascribed the sheer mental fortitude he displayed after the shark attack to his time in the military.

“The military and the great leaders that I’ve been blessed to work with have instilled in me a sense of self-belief that I am stronger in mind and body than I ever conceived possible,” he said.

However, he also credited his tumultuous juvenile years for helping to shape him into the man he is today.

A self-described “hoodlum teen,” Mr. de Gelder battled with drug and alcohol use as a young adult, bouncing from job to job, from working as a bartender at a strip club to pursuing a career as a rapper—once even opening for the chart-topping hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg.

“Some of the truly life-defining choices came after contemplation of the huge mistakes and poor choices I had made in my younger years,” he acknowledged. “I see the mistakes we make, also, as powerful tools to teach us how to be better on the current journey in front of us.”

Shark Advocate

Despite his horrifying encounter with one of the ocean’s greatest predators, Mr. de Gelder has since become a passionate advocate for sharks and is set to appear in a handful of new shows for this year’s “Shark Week,” which kicks off on July 7.

The television personality regularly speaks about the important role that sharks play in maintaining healthy ocean ecosystems and the need to conserve them, releasing his books, “SHARK—Why We Need to Save the World’s Most Misunderstood Predator” and “Uncaged: Soldier, Survivor, Shark Guy,” in 2022.

This a noteworthy feat considering he was petrified of sharks long before the attack. Recalling the mantra he learned in the Army, Mr. de Gelder said he was able to master his fear of the largely misunderstood ocean dwellers by simply learning more about them.

“Even though I have been pretty terrified of sharks my whole life, I never actually blamed the shark for what it did to me,” he explained.

“I chose an inherently dangerous life and I could have been killed or badly injured in a million different ways, from parachuting, to a bomb, a stray bullet, or even my motorcycle,” he added. “At least this way I have a cool story which eventually led to a whole new and very exciting career.”

‘The Mantra Hasn’t Changed’

Although 15 years have passed since the grisly shark attack, Mr. de Gelder said the mantra he learned in the Army still rings true today.

“The mantra hasn’t changed it’s just the challenges which I and we all face that change. ‘Improvise, adapt, and overcome’ isn’t simply a life mantra though. It’s just one of the tools in the toolbox to assist us in overcoming the obstacles we face on a daily basis,” he explained.

“If the obstacle is, let’s say, within our relationship, then perhaps we need to remember some other tools we have at our disposal such as patience, understanding, and communication. Sure, it’s not as catchy, but these are the qualities that ensure we have a great life and those around us do as well,” he continued. “We are, after all, a community, and as soon as we make it all about ourselves we separate ourselves. The team will always be stronger and better than the individual.”