A 23-year-old surfer’s leg washed ashore after he was attacked by a great white shark Tuesday at an Australian beach.
Kai McKenzie managed to survive the attack by kicking the nearly 10-foot shark, but the animal still ripped off his leg, reported BBC. The surfer managed to use his damaged surfboard to ride back to shore where an off-duty police officer reportedly used a tourniquet to treat McKenzie’s wound.
McKenzie’s leg was put on ice, he and his limb were flown almost 125 miles away to a hospital. Doctors are now racing to reattach the leg.
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A GoFundMe page has already raised over $76,000 for McKenzie’s medical bills. The page claims to have been set up by a neighbor, who describes the surfer’s family as having “hearts of gold.”
The attack happened in Port Macquarie in New South Wales. Less than a year ago, another surfer in Port Macquarie also fought off a shark attack.
Ten people have been killed by sharks globally in 2023, according to the University of Florida’s International Shark Attack File. Four of those shark-related deaths happened in Australia, and three of those attacks were by great whites. Attacks disproportionately affect surfers.
The Australian government has sought to find ways to limit shark populations off its coasts. But culling attempts have drawn the ire of conservationists and some members of the public, including from the surfing community. A video of two government contractors brutally stabbing a tiger shark went viral earlier this year.
McKenzie was also recovering from a back injury. His surfing team, the Rage, posted on Instagram that “he never once complained always just got on with doing what he loved as soon as possible.”
