Swordfish spears snorkeler through the neck

BALI, INDONESIA — A British tourist on a round-the-world trip cheated death when he was speared through the throat by a swordfish in waters off Indonesia.

Alan Pope, 57, was snorkeling near the resort island of Bali in October last year when he had a close encounter with the swordfish in question.

News of the incident has only just been reported this week. Pope told the Sun he noticed the water was quite choppy that day before he suddenly felt a great, thumping whack on the side of his head.

Alan's wife Sharon said she saw her husband knocked down, coughing and spitting up blood. It then took 30 minutes for them to reach a small, nearby island.

Unfortunately, the clinic there was only able to remove the top half of the swordfish's long, flat bill from the side of Pope's neck.

Pope was transferred to a hospital in Bali with the rest of the swordfish's spear still deeply embedded in his skin.

Six inches of the fish's harpoon remained there and doctors feared they might cut Pope's jugular vein if they removed it.

However, 36 hours after the incident and following a three-hour operation, the swordfish spike was finally removed from Pope's neck.

And after a couple days recovering in hospital, Pope and his wife Sharon were able to continue with their vacation.

Pope even got a tattoo of a swordfish on his arm to remind him of his spiky brush with death.