Surfer suffers massive blood loss in 30 second fight with great white shark as he's saved by off-duty doctor on the beach
25 August 2023, 13:44
A surfer is fighting for his life after suffering significant blood loss and serious injuries to his legs as he battled a shark in a brutal 30-second ordeal.
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Toby Begg, 44, was bitten by a great white shark measuring about four metres long at Watonga Rocks off Lighthouse Beach in Port Macquaire, New South Wales, Australia.
He was wounded from his hip to his lower legs as he fought the animal - and through sheer luck he was helped by an off-duty emergency doctor after being dragged out of the sea.
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New South Wales Police chief inspector Martin Bukre said: "The reports are that a man has tried to fight this shark for 30 seconds and has then swum himself to shore where he has realised he has sustained significant lower leg injuries.
"From what I understand, it was a sustained and prolonged attack."
Begg was helped by an off-duty emergency medic who applied a tourniquet to his leg, Burke said.
"To have the absolute luck of having an emergency department doctor on scene are all going to be key things that are going to lend itself to giving this gentleman the best chance of survival," the officer added.
Begg underwent vital surgery at Port Macquarie Base Hospital ahead of more planned operations at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle.
A teenage girl who saw the attack said helpers used Begg's own rope and sticks to keep his leg straight.
"His foot ripped off and basically he was bleeding everywhere," she said.
"They were trying to talk to him, he was silent, he was frozen."
Loren Enfield, a surfer who was in the water when the shark attacked, said Begg was dragged onto the beach. She swam back to shore, flagged down a mother and daughter and told them to call an ambulance.
"It was awful, you wouldn't want to see it happen to anyone," she said.
"I never want to see it happen again. It was big."
A surfing group will deploy a drone to find out more about the shark that savaged Begg. It is thought about a decade has passed since the last attack in the area.
Beach visitors have now been told to stay out of the sea.
