Australian surfer bitten by shark paddles to safety

Posted on 8 December 2020

A surfer in the south of Australia was bitten by a great white shark on Sunday, December 6 and managed to get to safety despite his injuries.

Australian surfer bitten by shark paddles to safety

The incident occurred southwest of Adelaide, off Kangaroo Island’s D’Estrees Bay.

The man (29) said it felt as though he had been hit by a truck. He sustained injuries to his back, buttock and elbow yet managed to get himself out of the water to call for help, according to The Independent. 

In a letter thanking the emergency services who helped him, the man 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 paddled into the beach. I walked up to the car park and yelled out to another surfer who was about to go in.’

A member of the public drove him to the Kangaroo Island hospital at Kingscote. While en route, emergency services met the car on the road and transported him the remaining distance.

From the hospital, he was airlifted to Adelaide with non-life-threatening injuries.

In 2020, eight people have died from injuries caused by shark bites in Australia so far.

Picture: Unsplash






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