Mates saved his life

When it happened last week at Kylie's Beach, about 10km south of Laurieton, it must surely have seemed like a nightmare to the victim, Luke Allen, 29, from the Central Coast. 

But as bad as it was, it could have been even worse if it had not been for the man's friends and other surfers who went to his assistance. 

One of them, Jai Baker, said the group, who were staying in the nearby Kylie's Beach camping area, had been surfing on the warm, overcast morning when a school of dolphins had joined them in the waves. 

However that idyllic scene turned to one of horror 10 minutes later when Jai heard Luke say, "I've been hit". 

What the surfers believe was a bull shark struck the surfer three times, biting him on his right thigh. 

The victim had punched at the shark's nose in an attempt to get free from it, but in that frantic effort the man's hand was also bitten and a finger lost. 

It was then that he had called out and the other surfers realised in shock what was happening. 

Their first automatic impulse was to head to the beach, Jai said, but they didn't, they went to the shark attack victim's aid, got him on a malibu board and brought him to shore. 

They used their board ropes to apply tourniquets and started to organise help. 

The mobile phone signal is not good in the Crowdy Bay National Park, but a 000 call got through to the Ambulance service at 10.45am, local crews were notified and a rescue helicopter called in. 

When the Courier arrived at the scene of the attack a half hour or so later the victim was being given painkillers and fluids by paramedics who had been driven to the site, at the northern end of the beach, in a police 4WD. 

Within minutes more emergency response personnel arrived, doing whatever was possible in the circumstances - at the far end of an isolated Mid North Coast beach - to treat the injured surfer. 

The Surf Emergency Response System had been alerted and duty lifesavers and council lifeguards from Port Macquarie responded. 

Shock was mixed with relief on the faces of his friends on the beach as they grappled with the fact that he had been attacked by a shark, but that it looked as if - as bad as his injuries were - he would be okay. 

Eventually - and though it seemed like a long time, it probably wasn't - the Westpac rescue helicopter could be heard in the distance. 

Flares were lit to guide it in and indicate wind direction. 

Soon its on-board medico was examining and treating the injured man. 

A few minutes later a team of professional rescue personnel had lifted the man from the 4WD where he had been lying out of the sun and carried him to the helicopter. 

Friends brought clothes from the camping area for his anxious wife, who changed into them before climbing into the helicopter for the trip to the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle. 

Surf Life Saving NSW lifesaving manager Dean Storey said the risk of shark attacks or encounters is very low and that people are at far greater risk of drowning. 

There were been five coastal drownings in NSW last month.

"Holiday-makers who are concerned about sharks should stick to swimming at patrolled locations," Mr Storey said. 

"That way lifesavers and lifeguards can clear the water in the event of a shark sighting and first aid support and equipment is immediately available."