A 56-year-old surfer is facing a long recovery after sustaining serious injuries during a shark attack in Western Australia early this week.
Mel Ismail was bitten on the leg while he was solo surfing near Glenfield Beach on Monday.
He was rescued by Shannon Dunn, another surfer hailed as a hero for coming to the distressed man’s aid.
Mr Ismail was only about 40m from the shore when the shark attacked, taking a big chunk of his board and a part of his leg.
Dr Mary Pinder at the Geraldton Health Campus’s Intensive Care Hospital, where Mr Ismail was taken for treatment, told Nine News that he was in “very good hands” as he continued to recover.
“He is receiving specialist care from an experienced multidisciplinary team with the capability and expertise to manage complex and critically unwell patients locally,” she said.
“This person remains in a stable condition. However, he has sustained serious injuries and faces a long recovery.”
Mr Dunn said he paddled in bloodied water to rescue Mr Ismail, who was frantically waving for help.
“I can’t even remember paddling out, other than, ‘What the hell what am I doing? What if that shark is still around?’” Mr Dunn said.
“The main thing was to get him back to shore and hope to see his family again. He basically said, ‘A shark’s got me, it’s taken my leg.”
Mr Dunn raced to bring Mr Ismail to shore where a group of beachgoers came to help. They used Mr Dunn's surfboard leg rope to create a makeshift tourniquet.
Mr Dunn said Mr Ismail was "calm the whole time" as the first responders worked on him. “He didn’t peek out, he didn’t complain about pain,” he said.
Mayor Jerry Clune expressed gratitude to the people who assisted Mr Ismail at the beach soon after the incident. He described it as "typical Geraldton spirit".
"A big thank you to all of them," Mr Clune said. "Many agencies come together as well as the community come together and we really appreciate that."
Western Australia premier Roger Cook described the situation as "horrifying". "I mean, the accounts we've heard from that are devastating," he said.
The attack was the latest in a series of serious shark incidents in Western Australia this year. Steven Mattaboni, 38, was killed while spearfishing off Rottnest Island in May. Diver Daniel Turpin, 35, was killed by a suspected 4.5m shark near Michaelmas Island, off Albany, in early June.
Read MoreSurfer seriously injured after shark attack at Australian beach that ‘felt very safe’
Tourist claims shark attack treatment at resort was delayed over insurance: lawsuit
New Zealand apologises to children of man who vanished with them into bushland
