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An Italian marine biology student lost part of his leg in a horrific shark attack while snorkeling in Australia.
Matteo Mariotti, 20, began recording on his GoPro after the shark bit him in the waters off the coast of Queensland, Knewz.com has learned, capturing the aftermath in a harrowing video.
On Friday, December 8, a shark bit his left leg three times, leading to its amputation below the knee, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
Two days later, Mariotti shared a video on Instagram he had started recording with his GoPro camera "a few moments after the last bite," he said in the post's caption, when translated from Italian to English.
The chaotic scene opens with the GoPro camera, seemingly submerged during the struggle, capturing the man's muffled screams through the waves.
As the video progresses, the water turns a deep shade of red as Mariotti, wearing a wetsuit and snorkeling mask, presumably bleeds out into the ocean.
When the GoPro is lifted above the water line, another man can be seen standing on the beach. Mariotti yells to him in Italian as he seems to make his way toward the shore.
Once Mariotti gets close enough, the man pulls the panicking shark attack victim out of the water by his arm. Gashes can then be seen through tears in the leg of his wetsuit.
The man, who Mariotti identified as his friend Tommaso, carried the gravely injured snorkeler to a stretcher and he was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Brisbane, according to Gazetta di Parma.
He underwent leg surgery at Brisbane Hospital and another surgery is scheduled for later this week, but so far the attack has left Mariotti without the use of his left leg, according to the newspaper.
Mariotti said in his Instagram post that he began filming in those critical moments because he "wanted to say goodbye."
"I never thought I'd survive that monster," he said in the post. "Lost so much blood and my leg, I don't know if they're going to cut it all off or if it's going to be left in half but it doesn't matter now."
He also thanked Tommaso, a nurse and diving instructor, saying "I owe you my life."
Mariotti is originally from Parma, but traveled to Australia to study and work about a year ago, according to La Repubblica.
His father Michele told the publication he hoped his son's knee could be saved. He said the treatment process was expected to take about a month, after which Matteo would return to Italy to continue his recovery.