This must have been so scary.
Surfers assume a considerable risk when they paddle out. However, getting attacked by a seal probably isn’t on your bingo card when discussing injuries while surfing. Sadly, that’s what happened to one UK-based surfer recently.
Unfortunately, it will be some time before Nathan Phillips gets back on his board again. He broke his leg after a seal attacked him while surfing in Porthleven, Cornwall, over the weekend.
The 42-year-old local legend said the horrific tragedy occurred as a seal kept harassing him. The marine mammal reportedly went after his board’s leash as some major swell crashed onto Phillips. Then, in a gut-wrenching moment, he felt his foot hit the back of his leg as it snapped clean in two.
Luckily, his friend was there to rescue him, paddling him half a mile back to land to get him medical attention. After examination, it was determined he suffered an open fracture requiring a plethora of antibiotics.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Phillips said his friend assumed his board had snapped after hearing the sound. However, when his foot hit the back of his leg, he “started screaming in pain” and knew he was in trouble.
However, once on shore, it only got worse for Phillips. “I sat there for maybe 40 minutes and was eventually treated by medics,” he said about waiting what felt like a lifetime for medical personnel. “It was so painful, and I had to wait even longer in my mate’s van while I waited for an ambulance after I couldn’t fit in the air ambulance.”
As Phillips waits for his next surgery, Phillips says he’s just thankful for all the support he’s received.
In the days following the incident, his mates Alec and Jason set up a GoFundMe, which has since raised several thousand dollars to help their friend financially as he enters his long road to recovery.
Not only is Phillips known for his surfing, but he’s also made a name for himself for his charitable nature. In 2021, he donated surfboards to a young teen and his dad after they were in a car that caught fire.
Now, the UK surfing community is coming together to prop up one of their own, with many people donating money so that he can receive surgery on his leg.
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