Pro surfer Max Marsden survived an attack by a five-foot-long bronze whaler over the weekend at a remote surf spot.
On Sunday, April 23rd, Max Marsden was surfing at a remote spot in Western Australia when he was attacked by a shark on his right arm.
The attack, from what was believed to be a five-foot-long bronze whaler, was dubbed an “extremely rare” incident. It occurred at Lucy’s Beach, a rugged spot off-the-beaten path and only accessible by 4×4 vehicles in the country’s mid-west. With the help of his friend Danny Williams, who was in the water at the time, Marsden made it out alive.
And now, following surgery for non-life-threatening injuries, Marsden has recounted the attack.
“His whole head and everything was over my arm,” he told 7NEWS. “I just freaked … it was thrashing around and going nuts.”
The attacked happened quickly, just before Marsden even caught his first wave. It came out of nowhere, and “hit with a fair bit of force,” Marsden recalled.
From there, he called for his friend Williams.
“There was so much blood in the water and he jumped behind me [and] was pushing me to get me on a wave,” Marsden said. “He was a legend; he saved me.”
Williams helped his friend paddle to shore, and he fashioned a makeshift tourniquet from his surf leash slow the bleeding. But once they hit the sand, they faced another challenge before getting to an ambulance, which was waiting on the main road.
“Because [the sands a bit soft], we ended up getting bogged,” the 30-year-old said. “So, we got the shovel out, got two boards under [the] back tires and reversed up over [the] boards just to get me out.”
Once they made it off the beach, Marsden was transported to a hospital in Perth for surgery…and to get a few of the shark’s teeth removed from his arm.
Following the attack and surgery, Marsden has a six-week recovery period ahead of him. And after that, when asked whether or not he’ll surf again?
“I’ll probably end up jumping straight back in, but it’s gonna be definitely scary,” he said. “First surf back will be with him [Williams]. [That] will make me feel a bit safer knowing he’s there again.”
Cheers, legend.
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