NAMBUCCA RIVER (Australia) - 1-4-2001 - A
surfer was to undergo surgery today after being attacked by a shark while
surfing on the New South Wales mid-north coast. The 40-year-old man was surfing
with a friend at the V-Wall, a local landmark near the entrance to the Nambucca
River, when he was bitten on the lower right leg around 10am.An ambulance spokeswoman said the shark's teeth had torn through the man's calf muscle. The victim managed to escape the shark and his friend tied a surfboard leash around his leg to stem the flow of blood. The pair then drove to Nambucca Heads ambulance station where the surfer was treated by staff. Ambulance officers stabilised the man before taking him to Coffs Harbour Hospital.
A hospital spokeswoman said the man was currently in a serious but stable condition and was being prepared for surgery this afternoon. She was unable to give further details about the extent of his injuries.
The attack comes less than two months after a similar incident involving a man at Brooms Head , near Yamba, on the New South Wales north coast. Mark Butler, a 40-year-old father of three, was attacked by a shark on February 4 but managed to walk about half a kilometre to nearby homes for help. Mr Butler suffered lacerated legs and blood loss in that incident.
At that stage, there had been about 19 shark attacks in Australia in the previous five years, including one on November 6 in which a 49-year-old man was killed and another injured at Perth's Cottesloe Beach .