Surfer speaks out after shark attack
Written by admin on July 27, 2024
A surfer who lost his leg in a shark attack on an isolated beach says he will be “back in the water in no time”.
Kai McKenzie, 23, was surfing the waves of North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie on Tuesday morning when a three metre shark severed his right leg.
The young surfer managed to “fight off” the shark before catching a wave back to shore, where a retired police officer used his dog’s lead as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
After undergoing major surgery at John Hunter Hospital, the surfer from Bonny Hills took to Instagram on Saturday morning to thank everyone for their support following the “crazy shark attack”, which he said “scared the living f*ck out of” him.
“Man ohh f*cking man to be here right now, just to f*cking be able to hold my beautiful Eve and my family is everything to me,” he said.
“To all you f*cking kind hearted people, all you legends, to anyone and everyone all your support has meant the absolute world to me. It’s so cool to see so many beautiful people support me.”
The professional surfer vowed to return to the water just days after the attack.
“I can tell you now if you know my personality this means f*ck all. I’ll be back in that water in no time,” he revealed.
“Big f*ck off to that shark and big thanks to Steve for saving my life.”
Mr McKenzie said it was the biggest shark he had “ever seen”.
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Witnesses reportedly said they saw Mr McKenzie desperately trying to paddle to shore moments before the shark crashed into his board and pulled him under the water.
Soon after the shark attack, Mr McKenzie’s leg washed up on shore and was swiftly taken to hospital under police lights and sirens.
A GoFundMe page has raised more $155,000 to assist Mr McKenzie with future medical expenses and his rehabilitation.
