Diver mauled by shark north of Australia to undergo surgery
CANBERRA, Australia — A diver who was mauled by a 4-meter (13-foot) bull shark near the Great Barrier Reef was flown in stable condition to an Australian hospital for microsurgery to an arm, a paramedic said Sunday.
The 55-year-old man had been free diving with friends in the Torres Strait from a boat chartered from the Queensland state city of Cairns when the shark attacked on Saturday afternoon, paramedic David Cameron said. Free diving uses no breath apparatus.
The man was 15 metres (50 feet) under water with other divers when the shark attacked, Cameron said.
“The bull shark has come up from behind and has unfortunately bitten the patient on the arm several times and bitten him on the stomach,” Cameron said, adding the most severe injuries were to his left arm.