Despite two bites from a shark, one surfer managed to get himself to his car and drive himself to the emergency room where he will receive surgery for his injuries.
A man in his 50s was attacked by a shark at a popular tourist spot before making the miraculous move to drive himself to hospital.
The man was surfing in South Australia when he was reportedly bitten twice by the beast. The man was in the ocean at D’Estrees Bay in an area known as The Sewer at Kangaroo Island. It followed reports made that a shark was chasing seals in the area.
Fortunately, he managed to drive himself to hospital and undergo emergency surgery. Shark Watch South Australia said the incident happened about 1.37pm on Tuesday local time. The shark is believed to have been a bronze whaler that bit the surfer, who remains unnamed.
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Bronze whaler sharks are commonly found in coastal areas and offshore in South Australia and can can grow to 3.3m in length and weigh up to 300kg. A surfer who survived a great white shark attack in the same area said it “was like being hit by a truck” when he was mauled by the huge beast.
In 2020 Dion Lynch has told of the harrowing moment the shark chomped on his back, buttock and elbow, and took a chunk out of his surfboard.
The 29-year-old builder said he was sitting on his board when the great white struck in D’Estrees Bay, off Kangaroo Island, in Australia just after 2pm on Sunday.
Dion managed to hold onto his board and catch a glimpse of the pointer as it let go and disappeared, and then paddled to the beach and walked into a car park for help despite his injuries.
Writing from his hospital bed, the surfer is hoping he will make a full recovery following his brush with dead, which occurred during one of the deadliest years on record for shark attacks.
In a statement to Australian media, Dion said on Monday that he feels “incredible lucky and grateful” after the attack unfolded on what started as a “normal day” in the water.
He wrote: “I was sitting on my board when I felt a hit on my left side – it was like being hit by a truck. It bit me around my back, buttock and elbow and took a chunk out of my board.
“I got a glimpse of the shark as it let go and disappeared.”I still had hold of my board and I paddled into the beach.” Despite his injuries, Dion walked up to a car park and yelled out to another surfer who was about to go into the water.
That surfer drove him towards a hospital in Kingscote and they were met by paramedics halfway. The local ambulance service said the surfer who helped Dion was an off-duty paramedic.