Shark attacks surfer off Bondi Beach.
February 13, 2009 12:00am.

Horror from the deep ... the surfer is taken to hospital.
A SURFER's hand was partially severed in what is believed to be the first
shark attack at Bondi Beach in 80 years.
The 33-year-old man was surfing on the southern end of the beach when he was
grabbed on the left arm by a shark in murky waters about 7.30pm.
As he struggled with the predator about 50m from the shore, he screamed for
help, shouting "shark" to warn others in the water.
Lifeguards believe the man was attacked by what they suspect was a "bronze
whaler about two metres long".
Last night he underwent surgery in St Vincent's Hospital, and it was not
known if his hand could be saved.
Witness Sebastien Le Bail told The Daily Telegraph he and his friend Michael
heard the scream as they were surfing about 20m away.
The injured man was helped back to the shore by bodyboarders and off-duty
doctors on the beach and other surfers helped stopped the bleeding until
paramedics arrived.
"We heard a guy scream out 'shark, shark'. We just got out of the water and
we ran to the guy and his hand was hanging off and he had a big cut on his
arm," Mr Le Bail, a French tourist, said.
Mr Le Bail and his friend helped tie the leash of a surf board around his
arm and packed ice on the wound.
Mr Le Bail said the man - who lives in Dover Heights and is believed to be
named Glen - was conscious and aware of his severe injuries but was losing a
lot of blood.
"It was chaos. We carried him to the street and we got ice and towels and we
just kept talking to him and kept telling him he was going to be fine," Mr
Le Bail, 21, said.
"When I first saw his hand I had to turn my head and look away. It was very
bad," he said.
Paramedics treated him at the scene before rushing him to St Vincent's
Hospital in a serious condition.
A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said the man's arm was partially severed in the
"apparent shark attack".
A hospital spokeswoman said the man arrived at 8.15pm and was undergoing
emergency surgery last night.
A NSW Police spokesman said the victim and the other surfers in the water
did not see the shark so could not confirm the breed.
Water Police helped clear people from the water after the attack
This is believed to be the first shark attack at Bondi Beach since February
8, 1929.
A shark net was installed at Bondi Beach in 1937 and is currently in place.
The net is laid out about 150m from the beach and is submerged in 8m of water.
According to the Waverley Council website, there has been no shark fatality
at Bondi Beach since the nets were installed.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/s ... 09,00.html
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