Melbourne, Jan 12 : A 23-year-old Aussie man, who was snorkeling, saved his own life from a shark by punching it.

The snorkeller was swimming under the Windang Bridge when he felt a tug on his leg, and saw a flurry of white water.

He punched out at a brown shape that was believed to have been a bull shark.

After he freed himself, he made his way to mud flats where he flagged down a passing boat.

He was treated at the scene by paramedics, and had suffered about 40 puncture wounds to his calf and an abrasion on his hand, caused by punching the shark.

He was later taken to Shellharbour Hospital.

According to shark hunter Vic Hislop, over fishing in the area has led to the predators seeing humans as an alternative food source, but shark experts have dismissed the notion.

Hislop said that 200 years of over-fishing Australian waters had turned the attention of big sharks to "gentler" prey such as dugong, turtles and dolphins.

"That''s what''s in their stomach now every day," News. com. au quoted him as saying on Macquarie Radio.

"As the turtles disappear, which is inevitable, and the dugong herds disappear, humans are next in line on the food chain.

"It will definitely get worse," he stated. (ANI)