A young surfer is lucky to be alive after a terrifying shark attack off the coast of Australia turned a day in the water into a fight for survival.

Alejo Santiñaque, 20, was waiting for a wave at Red Cliff when a shark suddenly struck without warning. In a horrifying instant, the predator clamped onto his foot and yanked him underwater.

The Uruguayan surfer later revealed the split-second move he believes saved his life.

“I suddenly felt a hard hit and a strong pull on my foot,” Santiñaque wrote in a Facebook post. “A shark had bitten me.”

According to Santiñaque, the shark became tangled in his surfboard leash as it dragged him beneath the surface. He had almost no time to think.

“Everything happened incredibly fast,” he said. “I don’t think more than two seconds passed between the bite and my reaction.”

That reaction may have made all the difference.

Instead of freezing or panicking, Santiñaque fought back with everything he had.

“It pulled me in the water, and my immediate response was to kick it as hard as I could to make it let go,” he said.

The desperate move worked. The shark released him.

But Santiñaque was not safe yet.

During the violent struggle, his surfboard leash snapped, leaving him alone in the water without his board. Injured and bleeding, he had to swim back to shore while fearing the shark could come back at any moment.

Despite the nightmare unfolding around him, Santiñaque said staying calm was critical.

“Keeping a clear head was crucial,” he said. “From the moment I was bitten until I reached the beach, I focused on what I needed to do and avoided panicking.”

Once he made it to shore, his friends rushed to help. They quickly applied a tourniquet to his bleeding foot while waiting for emergency crews to arrive.

Santiñaque later underwent surgery for serious injuries, including a ruptured tendon and torn muscle. Doctors said the shark’s bite narrowly missed his major arteries.

Even after the terrifying attack, Santiñaque said he does not hate sharks or see them as monsters.

“The ocean is its home, and we are the ones entering its environment,” he said.

He added: “Sharks are not villains or monsters. They are wild animals and an essential part of the marine ecosystem.”

The frightening survival story comes as another shark attack recently turned deadly in Western Australia.

A 35-year-old man died after being attacked near Michaelmas Island, southeast of Perth, on June 6. It marked the third fatal shark encounter in the region in just four weeks.

Emergency crews rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the attack at about 11:25 a.m. local time. The victim was brought back to shore by boat, where paramedics tried to save him.

“He was conveyed back to shore by boat, where he was met by St John Ambulance WA paramedics. Sadly, he was unable to be revived,” Western Australia Police said in a statement.

For Santiñaque, the outcome was very different. His quick thinking, his refusal to panic, and one powerful kick helped him survive a nightmare few people could imagine.