A rising surfing star lost one of his legs in a horrifying shark attack off the coast of New South Wales, Australia, 10 News First and Surfer reported.
23-year-old Kai McKenzie was surfing North Shore Beach around 11 a.m. on Tuesday when he saw a massive shark approaching him from the corner of his eye. The beast, which measured 15 feet long, suddenly latched onto McKenzie’s right leg before he had time to react. Though the surfer was able to fight the animal off, it severed his leg in the process.
Bleeding profusely and barely able to maintain consciousness, McKenzie miraculously caught a wave and surfed it back to shore. There, he was aided by a police officer who used the leash of his canine as a tourniquet for McKenzie’s amputated limb. Officials say the officer’s heroic actions “essentially saved (McKenzie’s) life.”
McKenzie is currently in critical but stable condition at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, AU.
Stab reported that Kevin Young, who is vice president of an organization that helps to rehabilitate shark attack survivors, claimed that authorities were able to locate McKenzie’s leg and pack it with ice for transport to Newcastle, with the hope of reattaching the limb.
Officials have used a drumline and drones to assist in locating the shark that attacked McKenzie. Two separate species were located near the area where McKenzie was attacked later on Tuesday. “We will be working…to try and locate that shark and identify what type of shark that was,” Chief Inspector Stuart Campbell told 7News.
The young legend is a team rider for the surf grip and hardware brand Rage, which also counts fellow rising icons Shaun Manners, Jaleesa Vincent, and Wade Goodall among its number. Less than six months ago, McKenzie celebrated his return to the sport after healing from a fractured neck.
McKenzie is lucky to have escaped with his life. Last month, pro-surfer and Pirates of the Caribbean star Tamayo Perry was tragically killed by a shark while surfing.
