Shark Bites Surfer’s Foot, Prompts Birubi Beach Closure In Australia

A man in Australia had to be rushed to hospital after a shark reportedly bit his right foot when he was surfing in the Birubi Beach in New South Wales (NSW). The shark attack prompted the authorities to close down the facility.

The incident took place 9.30 a.m. local time Saturday (6:30 p.m. EDT Friday) when the surfer managed to swim ashore after sustaining minor injuries on his foot. Reports suggested the surfer was in his 30s, however, his name was not revealed.

An off-duty nurse, who was present when the incident happened, tended to his puncture wounds and tried to stem the bleeding, as both of them waited for NSW Ambulance paramedics to arrive. The victim was admitted to the John Hunter Hospital after the paramedics briefly treated him on the scene as a precautionary measure.

The surfer was said to be in a stable condition after the attack. The wounds were not that deep, there was quite a bit of blood loss. “It appears to have been relatively minor but the bleeding did become more problematic,” Surf Life Saving NSW spokeswoman Donna Wishart told the Daily Telegraph.

While the area is a breeding ground for great white sharks, the authorities cannot rule it as a shark attack since the animal which attacked the surfer was never found. Council lifeguards wearing jet skis spent hours searching the beach waters before declaring that the animal or shark that was responsible must have cleared out.

Nevertheless, NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) would continue their investigation into the incident. “DPI will continue to work with NSW Police and SLS to monitor the area and provide any technical advice as required,” a NSW DPI spokeswoman said. They would also be bringing in a biologist to review photographs of the victim’s wound to try and ascertain if it was a shark, ABC News reported.

More than 8-foot-long shark was spotted at this beach in September when an aerial search of the area was conducted by the authorities. As a result, the beach was closed off for visitors at the time. It is not clear when the beach was reopened again.

Abe McGarth, 35, was surfing at Iluka on the north coast of New South Wales in September when an 11-foot great white shark attacked him, snapping his board, biting his hip, and flinging him up in the air. Fortunately, McGarth landed in the water instead of the shark’s mouth, which saved his life.

“Abe was left floating in the water with a couple of teeth marks on his body,” Bryce Cameron, a beachgoer who witnessed the incident, said, Fox News reported. “He scrambled in the water and got washed in by the next wave. He is pretty much the luckiest man on earth right now. He was lying on his board, but if he had been sitting on it he would have lost a leg.”