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Horror moment teenager has her leg bitten off by huge great white shark

WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT Heather Boswell was swimming near the coast of Chile when she was attacked by a 16ft great white shark which bit off most of her left leg in a horrific mauling caught on camera

A young researcher's existence was transformed during what ought to have been a peaceful day away from work at sea.

Heather Boswell, just 19 at the time, was part of a research vessel crew off Chile's coastline in 1994 when the team chose to make the most of brilliant weather by taking a dip in the Pacific Ocean.

However, the teenager fell prey to a ghastly shark assault that was captured on film in amateur footage, revealing the absolute horror of the ordeal as it happened.

It was March 23 and the ocean seemed tranquil, with nothing indicating peril lurked nearby.

[The shark swam straight for Heather]

The shark swam straight for Heather(Image: Tracking Sharks/Youtube)

Heather was relishing her swim back towards the vessel when, out of nowhere, a 16ft great white shark suddenly appeared from behind her, reports the Mirror.

In a desperate fight for survival, the lethal hunter closed in before seizing her leg as she battled to break free from its grip.

A spine-chilling scream rang out as the beast clamped down on her limb whilst she cried "help me!".

The ocean became a terrifying crimson.

Yet despite the brutality of the assault, Heather later described how dreamlike the experience seemed.

[Heather's colleagues frantically tried to save her]

Heather's colleagues frantically tried to save her(Image: Tracking Sharks/Youtube)

"It didn't hurt at all, it was kind of like a puppy chewing on your finger," she remembered.

In the distressing clip, crew members can be witnessed frantically trying to reach her, stretching out a broom handle in a desperate attempt to haul her from the water.

Shrieks ring out everywhere as terror grips everyone. As they watched in terror, the shark attacked Heather again, biting her for the second time and pulling her under the water.

"Oh My God," a voice is heard exclaiming. Heather recounted the horrifying power of the assault.

"I just remember it was really really rough, I felt like a ragged doll," she said. "And then when he brought me back up, I didn't feel pain then either, all I felt was a pop. "The shark bit most of my leg."

Luckily, one of her colleagues managed to grab her arms while another repeatedly hit the shark with a stick, forcing it to let go of her.

Heather was pulled back onto the boat as her teammates stared in shock at the full scale of the incident.Not satisfied, the shark then attempted to attack another swimmer hanging off a ladder.

Heather's remarkable tale of survival later featured on Discovery Channel's Shark Week, drawing global attention to her experience.

Years later, during an appearance on The Oprah Winfrey Show, Heather described the moment she realised she had lost her leg.

She explained: "When they were playing tug of war with the shark they reached down and grabbed my arms and pulled me but the shark still had a hold of my left leg. ""There was tug of war and I felt a pop. I thought 'I hope my leg dislocated because if it didn't it would be gone' and I looked down and my leg was gone."

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