A surfer is in critical condition after he was attacked by a Great White shark in southern Australia. The man was bitten in the thigh by the “monster” Great White which witnesses say then swam off with the leg still in his mouth.
A 26-year-old surfer, Chris Blowes, was attacked by a large Great White shark while surfing at Fishery Bay, in southern Australia. The incident occurred around 9:45 a.m. Adelaide Now reports that during the time of the attack, there were a dozen or so surfers in the same area. One witness, who had just exited the water from surfing, notes that he turned around to see a “massive” Great White swimming off with a surfer’s leg in its mouth.
“The shark came in and bit his leg off and the guys helped him in and carried him up the cliff. I was just watching the shark go out to the ocean with his board still attached. Obviously the shark still had his leg and he was still swimming around with it.”
The witness was then informed to call 911 while the other surfers quickly carried the injured surfer away on their surf boards to seek help. The surfers did not wait for emergency crews to arrive, instead they loaded the victim into the back of their vehicle and headed to the hospital. Once at the hospital, Blowes was taken by medical helicopter to Adelaide for more thorough treatment. The surfer is still fighting for his life from the shark attack injuries.
According to the Daily Mail , another witness to the horrific shark attack noted a large amount of blood in the water following the attack. The witnesses say the whole incident was “pretty traumatic” but that the other surfers acted quickly to help the injured man make it out of the water and to proper medical treatment. The other surfers worked to stop the bleeding and are being called heroes.
The police worked with the Fisheries department to post signs warning other surfers about the shark attack. However, those surfing that morning say the conditions made it hard to see possible sharks in the water as it was rather dark and rainy. The conditions may have also been a factor into why the Great White attacked the surfer as it likely mistook the surfer for a seal or dolphin.
“The overcast conditions make it difficult for surfers to see sharks that might be in the area and it is believed that sharks often mistake humans for seals or dolphins.”
[Image Credit: Getty Images/ Dan Kitwood]