Shark attack survivor tells his story

It was at the exact spot 12 months ago last Sunday that his life changed forever and not for the better. 

Dave was on a surf ski for a training paddle when he was attacked by a great white shark. By his own admission he’s lucky to be alive, the shark spitting him out but not before badly mauling his leg.

Dave, 66, remembers like it was yesterday – he actually eye-balled his attacker when the shark surfaced on the ski with him. Then it dragged him back into the water. At that instant Dave thought his days had come to an end. He’s spent much of his life in the ocean and it was there he thought he would die.

“I thought – this is it,’’ he said.

“There was blood everywhere in the water and there were flashes of silver and white.’’

However, the shark let go, Dave reasoning that he isn’t much of a delicacy. Dave had to get back on the ski, fearing the shark would attack again. Without paddles he had to negotiate the craft back to shore. He was on the ski backwards.

“That’s not an easy thing to do,’’ he said.

People on the beach came to his aid. A long association with the surf life saving movement taught Dave that he had to stay calm, which he managed to do, even though, among other injuries, an artery in his leg had been severed. He put a tourniquet above the knee to stem the flow of blood. At this stage pain wasn’t an issue. 

“One of the locals, Matty Cougle raced up and helped me put a t-shirt or a towel in the hole in my leg to stop the bleeding,’’ Dave recalled.

“Then it (the pain) hit me.’’

Dave was eventually transported by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital. Initial reports indicated he’d suffered only minor injuries. Those reports were way off mark.

“I virtually spent the next six months in hospital, only coming out now and again,’’ he said.

A severed Achilles tendon was just one of the injuries. That’s back on the mend, albeit slowly.

“I’ve got about 30 per cent of the movement back in the leg now,’’ he said.

“I only need one walking stick now. I can walk downhill alright, but uphill is just about impossible.’’

His ankle was virtually hanging on by a thread. Dave underwent surgery three days after the attack – on Father’s Day last year. He’s since had 13 operations while he’s also had to deal with heart and lung problems as a result.

“I was told the bones would be the last thing to repair,’’ he said.

“And I’m having trouble with the bones now – they’re giving me grief.’’

He’s now consulting with an orthopedic surgeon, however, it will be a while before he goes under the knife again, given the amount of surgery he’s experienced in the past year.

He admits it is frustrating. A member of the Newcastle and Black Head Surf Clubs, Dave was a keen competitor in his prime and he maintained a busy training regimen, surfing anywhere from Saltwater to Black Head – wherever there was a decent wave since moving to Tallwoods from Newcastle. The past 12 months have been provided equal portions of agony and frustration.

However, he said he’s received great support from a group of fellow veterans at Black Head Surf Club.

“There’s about seven of us, Ron Bridges, Dick Quinn and others – we met and use the gym at the surf club three times a week,’’ he said.

Dave’s ventured back to the surf with a bit of help from his friends, although he concedes it wasn’t easy.

“They helped me in and surrounded me. I was flopping around like a turtle but I got in there.

“I was a bit gun shy though.’’

Dave was told it would take two years to recover. He’s confident he's ahead of schedule.

“Like I said, the bones will be the last thing to repair and they’re giving me trouble now, so I suppose I’m getting there,’’ he explained.

Despite the pain, the lengthy stays in hospital, the operations and the frustration, Dave considers himself lucky. He reasons that not everyone who is attacked by a great white can live to recount the story.