"Shark Attack Survivors News Archive"

06/27/2009 Les Wade ( Australia )

Listing of the Shark Attack Related Incidents occurring in 2009. 2009 Shark Attacks
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helmi
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Re: 06/27/2009 Les Wade ( Australia )

Post by helmi »

Link to youtube :
Shark attack: Aussie surfer leaves a leg dangling :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0oqpGx1Ac8

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sharkbait
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Re: 06/27/2009 Les Wade ( Australia )

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Survivor tells of Seven Mile Beach shark attack

BY MICHELLE HOCTOR
29/06/2009 10:03:00 AM

For 10 chilling seconds Les Wade faced off with the shark that had mauled his left leg, wondering if the creature was going to finish him off.

"It was just sitting there, swinging its tail from side to side. It was looking at me and I was looking at it and I thought, 'What's your next move? Are you going to attack me from the front?' "
Shark attack victim Les Wade. Picture: DAVE TEASE
Shark attack victim Les Wade. Picture: DAVE TEASE
les_wade.jpg (43.18 KiB) Viewed 23344 times
The 52-year-old grandfather of six was yesterday counting his blessings after the brush with death that occurred in waist-high water and left him nervous about returning to the ocean.

Mr Wade, of Jaspers Brush just south of Berry, had been surfing alone at Seven Mile Beach, Gerroa, for an hour on Saturday morning when a wave brought him closer to shore about 8.30am.

"I got off the board and was standing on the sand in waist-deep water about 20m from shore, with the board facing back to where the break was.

"I started walking and was just about to jump back on the board and go back out when I felt something hit me from behind.

"At first I thought it was another surfer who had got his board and jammed it into the back of my legs.

"The sensation was like a big push then a big clamping action on my leg, but it didn't actually feel like I'd been bitten. It was pressure and a shove.''

Mr Wade said he turned around to confront his attacker, only to discover a 2m bronze whaler staring back at him.

"For 10 to 15 seconds, I'm looking at this thing and its tail fin is going back and forth really slowly.

"Then it just went, really quick. It thrashed around me and went beneath the surface and was just gone.''

Mr Wade said that as the beach was deserted, he made the amazing decision to climb back on his board and paddle out to sea, in the path of the shark, to seek help.

"There was about 20 surfers, surfing in groups of four and five.

"I said to them, 'I think I've been bitten, can you have a look?' But because I was lying on my stomach we couldn't really see the damage.

"All you could see was a few holes in the wetsuit and someone said, 'You might need a stitch or two, you'd better go in.'

"By the time we got to shore and had a better look, they went, 'Oh shit, we'd better get an ambulance'.''

Mr Wade said the wetsuit had concealed the fact the shark's teeth had dragged deep wounds along his skin, including a 15cm gash on his shin and a wound to the heel.

Wife Jenny, who met her husband at Shoalhaven Hospital, said the top of his foot sustained the most damage.

"You could peel the skin right back. I could see the bone while they were checking his tendons. I felt quite ill, watching," she said.

Mr Wade's wounds were cleaned and checked for shark teeth that may have broken off in his skin, before receiving more than 50 stitches.

He was released from hospital five hours later.

Despite earlier plans to return to the ocean as soon as possible, a fitful night's sleep had him thinking otherwise.

"I was trying to go to sleep but it just kept coming back, the impact of it," he said.

"Time will tell (if I return to the surf). It will be hard not to, but the first time I go back will be pretty daunting, walking through the 20 to 30m of shallow water.''

After 20 years of surfing, it was only the third time Mr Wade, a father of three adult children, had surfed at Gerroa.

Until two months ago, he had lived his whole life at Shellharbour, before relocating south and commuting daily to Wollongong, where he works at South Coast Equipment.

Despite the terror of his experience, he believes the shark attack was a case of mistaken identity.

"I was swimming near a school of fish. A guy surfing 50m along said there was a heap of flathead and the shark might have been chasing them.

"I had a full-length wetsuit on. With my feet on the bottom, they might have looked like fish."


http://www.illawarramercury.com.au/news ... torypage=0
sharkbait
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Re: 06/27/2009 Les Wade ( Australia )

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Shark victim: I'll surf againKim Christian
June 28, 2009 .
A SURFER needed 50 stitches after being attacked by a shark on the NSW South Coast yesterday.

The victim, Les Wade, 52, was rushed to hospital after he was bitten off Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa, south of Kiama, about 8.45am.

Following his release from Shoalhaven Hospital yesterday, the grandfather said he was grabbed below the knee by what he thought was a two-metre bronze whaler. He sustained 12 separate puncture wounds.

"I felt something push me from behind, I felt a pressure on my leg, I thought it was another surfer, I turned around to say, 'What are you doing', and then I saw the back of a shark," Mr Wade said.

He pledged to be back in the water as soon as he has recovered

http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/nationa ... -d0hc.html
helmi
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Re: 06/27/2009 Les Wade ( Australia )

Post by helmi »

Shark attack victim 'amazed' by lucky escape

2009/06/27

The man attacked by a shark on the New South Wales South Coast on Saturday morning says the experience will not stop him surfing, though it might take a while before he ventures back into the water.

Les Wade was surfing at Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa just before 9:00am (AEST) when he felt something push him from behind.

He says he thought it was another surfer but then he turned and spotted a shark.

"I didn't realise what had happened," he said. "I paddled back out and said, 'I think there's a shark and I think it's just bit me'.

"The other guys sort of looked at me as if to say 'OK'."

Mr Wade was taken to hospital and a wound to his lower leg wound needed 50 stitches.

The life-long surfer says he is amazed that he did not sustain more severe injuries.

"I'm very lucky. I have to go and buy a lotto ticket on Tuesday or Wednesday."

Beach closed

Surf Life Saving NSW duty officer John Restuccia says signs have been erected on the beach near Crooked River to remind people the area is closed and that they swim there at their own risk.

"[Sunday] morning our local jetboat in that area, at Kiama, [will] just have to patrol the area and make sure everything's still all right down there," he said.

The Australian Aerial Patrol says the attack is a timely reminder about the prevalence of sharks, despite the end of summer.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... 610375.htm
sharkbait
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Re: 06/27/2009 Les Wade ( Australia )

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Surfer in early morning shark attack at off Seven Mile Beach south of

June 27, 2009
Article from: The Australian

A SURFER attacked by a shark on the NSW south coast early this morning is reported to be in a stable condition.

The victim, bleeding from a leg wound, was rushed to hospital after the attack off Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa, south of Kiama, about 8.45am AEST.

"We're in the process of assessing his injuries,'' a Shoalhaven Hospital spokeswoman told AAP.

"He's in a stable condition and in good spirits, considering.''

She said the injuries were not life threatening, but it was unclear whether he would require surgery.

The man's family has arrived at the hospital.

A NSW Ambulance service spokesman said an emergency helicopter was initially sent to the scene from Albion Park on the south coast, but it was recalled after a road ambulance arrived and took the man, whose name is unknown, to hospital.

"He suffered lacerations to the lower leg,'' the spokesman said.

"We believe he was in a stable condition at the time and he may have been helped to shore by fellow surfers.''

The beach was not patrolled at the time due to infrequent use over winter, a Lifesaving NSW spokesman told AAP.

"None of the beaches are open down there at the moment because of the off season,'' he said.

"I've activated our surf lifesaving team duty officer down there and they can see what they can do and work in with the police to make sure that they maintain some safety in the area.''

He said the surf lifesaving helicopter would most likely fly over the remote beach, but he could not say whether warning signs would be erected.

No details of the size and type of shark are available.

A Kiama surf club representative said there had been no recent reports of shark activity in the area.

Light south westerly winds and some cloud cover are forecast for the area.

Authorities warn beach users not to enter the water at dawn or dusk due to an increased risk of shark activity.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/st ... public_rss
helmi
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Joined: Thu Dec 18, 2008 10:23 pm

06/27/2009 Les Wade ( Australia )

Post by helmi »

A man was bitten by a shark while surfing at Seven Mile Beach, Gerroa NSW.

Man bitten by shark on NSW south coast
June 27, 2009 - 10:09AM

A man has been bitten by a shark on the NSW south coast.

NSW Ambulance received reports a male surfer was bitten by a shark at Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa, south of Kiama, about 8.45am (AEST) on Saturday.

Early reports indicate he sustained a small laceration to the lower leg.

He has been taken to Shoalhaven Hospital for treatment.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-na ... -d075.html
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