An Australian surfer was bit by a shark, swam to shore, and walked almost 1000 feet to find help
- A 29-year-old surfer was bit by a shark in Australia and made a remarkable trek to safety.
- The man, who was off the coast of Kangaroo Island, paddled back to shore and then walked almost 1000 feet with serious injuries to his back, leg and buttocks.
- The paramedic who treated the surfer told news outlets that he was lucky to be alive.
A 29-year-old surfer in South Australia who was bit by a shark made a remarkable journey back to get help, The Guardian reported.
With "serious" lacerations on his back, buttocks and leg, the man swam back to the remote shore on Sunday and then walked nearly 1000 feet to be treated by an off-duty paramedic in the parking lot of the beach, a medic told the Guardian.
"We stabilized him on the side of the road, treated his injuries and managed his pain," paramedic Michael Rushby told the outlet. "These injuries were consistent with quite a large shark bite."
Rushy told The Advertiser, a local newspaper, that the injuries the man suffered were "catastrophic" and that he's lucky to have been able to make the swim back to safety.
The man was surfing in D'Estrees Bay on Kangaroo Island when he was attacked.
After being treated on scene, he was hospitalized. From there, he released a handwritten statement, thanking everyone who helped him.
"I'm feeling incredibly lucky & grateful & optimistic I'll make a full recovery," he wrote.
- Read more:
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- Here are the chances of getting bitten by a shark while you're swimming at the beach
- A woman swimming off the coast of Maine was killed by a great white shark in the state's first-ever fatal shark attack