A shark attack on the first dive of a Fiji trip has put New Zealand fishing content creator Henry Gibbs through four surgeries and a skin graft, but the popular angler says he expects to make a full recovery and holds no grudge against the animal that bit him.
Gibbs, who has a combined following of more than 100,000 across Instagram and TikTok built on fishing and spearfishing expeditions around New Zealand and abroad, broke a two-week social-media silence on July 24 to explain where he had been. In a hospital post accompanied by five photographs, he described his first dive of the trip ending in what he called a "pretty nasty shark incident" off the Fiji Islands earlier in the month.
According to People, which reported on the post, two of Gibbs' friends "quickly" pulled him from the water in the immediate aftermath and he was rushed for treatment. Surgeons operated four times and performed a skin graft on his right leg, the limb hit in the attack.
"It's looking like I'll make a full recovery, which I'm hugely grateful for," Gibbs wrote.
What stood out in his account was the absence of anger. Gibbs said he had no hard feelings toward the shark, acknowledging that he was in its environment and hunting its food when the attack happened.
"Wrong place, wrong time, and there are definitely a few lessons I'll share when I post the footage in the hope it helps someone avoid ending up in the same situation and a bit on how to respond to it," he wrote.
The incident drew coverage well beyond the fishing world. The New Zealand Herald reported Gibbs was "feeling incredibly lucky to still have my leg," and NDTV noted the four surgeries the Kiwi diver had undergone. Surfer magazine, which follows the spearfishing and ocean scene, also documented the attack and the hospital photos.
Gibbs used much of his post to thank the people who had contacted him in the six days since the incident.
"Just wanted to say a genuine thank you to everyone who's reached out over the past six days since the incident, both in Fiji and back home in New Zealand. The support has honestly meant a lot," he wrote. "For now, just feeling very lucky and with an even greater appreciation for life. Cheers."
The measured tone fits the way Gibbs has always framed his content. Introducing himself on TikTok in 2025, he summed up his goal simply: "At the end of the day, if my content could put a smile on your face — or even inspire you to get out there and do something yourself — then that's a huge win in my book."
He has promised to release footage of the attack once he is recovered, framing it as a safety lesson for other divers and spearfishers rather than a highlight reel. For now, the focus is on healing a leg that came far closer to a much worse outcome than the upbeat post lets on.
