Man Films Aftermath of Shark Attack That Claimed His Leg in Australia

An Italian man recently got chewed up by a shark in Australia, and while you'd expect him to be freaking out and trying to get to shore ... he was also preoccupied with filming the whole ordeal.

The guy's name is Matteo Mariotti, and he's a 20-year-old student from the city of Parma -- however, last week ... he found himself snorkeling off the coast of 1770 Beach on the eastern shore of the land down under.

While he was in the water, Mariotti was recording with a selfie stick of some sort -- which captured the moments right after the shark bit his leg. It's pretty shocking, considering you can see blood start to flow all around him.

Mariotti was eventually able to swim close enough to land for a pal to yank him in and attempt to help. Soon, though, he was transferred to a hospital -- but it was too late to save his leg. It was reportedly amputated from the knee down, but Matteo still sounds grateful.

He writes, "I played this video a few moments after the last bite, I wanted to say goodbye, I never thought I'd survive that monster. 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."

MM adds, "You are my heroes, you give me strength to carry on with your texts and calls, my only dream is to see you again." Matteo shouted out his friend for saving his life, and apologized for not being able to respond to everyone right away.