Two people who were among the first to reach a surfer injured in a shark attack at North Steyne Beach have shared the moments after he was pulled from the water, including actions that may have saved his life.
A man believed to be in his 20s was surfing at Manly Beach when he was bitten at about 6:20pm yesterday.
Members of the public helped pull the injured surfer to shore and provided first aid for serious leg injuries before emergency services arrived.
One of the first responders, Dayan Neave, used his surfboard’s leg rope as an emergency tourniquet after the victim lost consciousness.
“Growing up at the beach and hearing other stories of other surfers that have been in similar situations, it was just the first thing that popped into my mind, just to grab a leg rope just in case you needed it,” Neave told Today.
Neave said the injured surfer had “fought the whole way in” as he was assisted by two others in the water.
“He was paddling with the other two that were assisting him like absolute champions,” Neave said.
“I mean, they would have been scared that the shark was going to attack again, and they helped him the whole way in.”
As conditions became rougher closer to shore, Neave said the victim managed to climb back onto his board and catch a wave to the beach where he was helped out of the water before passing out.
Neave, who is also a surfer, said it would likely be some time before he returned to the water.
“I know at the moment there’s just been more sharks up and down the eastern coast of Australia than anyone’s ever seen … it’s actually radical,” he said.
“So I don’t really want to go out for a while.”
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said the victim survived due to a “extraordinarily good luck” and praised the swift response of bystanders and lifesavers.
“We actually had a group of surf lifesavers in the surf club at the very moment, doing CPR training of all things, so they were able to immediately respond out of the surf club, get onto the beach, apply tourniquets, commence CPR,” he told Today.
“We had two off-duty doctors also walking nearby. They joined in with the CPR and I think if not for that immediate effort, these life-saving efforts definitely made a major difference with this man’s survivability.”
The man remains in a critical condition.
The incident was the third shark-related attack at Sydney beaches in just over 24 hours, prompting the closure of 20 beaches.
Earlier yesterday, an 11-year-old boy’s surfboard was bitten by a suspected bull shark, while a 12-year-old boy was mauled at Shark Beach in Vaucluse.
Pearce said the 12-year-old victim was a junior lifesaver from one of Surf Life Saving NSW’s clubs.
“If not for the actions of the police and the ambulance, well, things could have been totally different and they just did such a tremendous job to save one of our people.,” he said.
Swimmers have been advised to stay out of the water at beaches that remain open, particularly avoiding murky or low-visibility conditions.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries said bull sharks are known to frequent Sydney Harbour, especially during warmer months and can be found in shallow waterways.
Authorities have also warned that murky water caused by recent rain and storms may create conditions that increase the risk of shark encounters.
Images: Today
