A shark attack expert has defended Coogee Beach survivor Leah Stewart after a Melbourne radio trio publicly questioned whether her detailed account of fighting off the shark was genuine. Andrew Fox, whose father Rodney survived a severe great white attack in 1963, said doubts over Ms Stewart's vivid recollection were unfair, arguing that near-death experiences produce intensely detailed memories processed within microseconds. The dispute highlights how survivors of traumatic attacks can face public scepticism even while recovering from life-changing injuries.

Ms Stewart, who survived the attack on 13 June and lost an arm, told 60 Minutes she had weighed which arm she was more willing to sacrifice before punching the shark, describing the impact as like hitting a brick wall. FoxFM hosts Brendan Fevola, Kate Langbroek and Nick Cody discussed the interview on air, with Fevola insisting she would not have had time to think it through, while Langbroek was more cautious, citing surfer Mick Fanning's reflexive reaction to a shark encounter as a comparison. Fox, who runs the Fox Shark Research Foundation, said his father had recounted his own attack in similarly precise detail over decades, backing Ms Stewart's credibility.