Page 1 of 1

08/08/2010 Rick Carroll ( Australia )

Posted: Tue Aug 10, 2010 4:41 am
by helmi
Rick Carroll was surfing with friends about 8am in the bay at Crescent Head (NSW) when he was bitten.
The surfer suffered injuries to his left foot.

Shark bites surfer
10 Aug, 2010 08:19 AM

A SURFER was bitten on the foot by a shark at Crescent Head on Sunday morning.

Rick Carroll, who works at Kempsey hospital, was surfing with friends about 8am in the bay at Crescent Head when he was bitten.

Mr Carroll was paddling out through the surf about 300m north of the Killick Creek opening when the shark struck.

He was assisted to the shore by fellow surfers who rang for an ambulance.

Crescent Head surfer Paul O’Donnell was one of those who came to Mr Carroll’s aid.

“His mates brought him onto the shore and I went with one of them to get a four-wheel drive so we could get him off the beach to wait for the ambulance,” Mr O’Donnell said

“His foot had some deep cuts and puncture wounds and his heel was cut up fairly badly but it probably could have been a lot worse,” he said.

Mr Carroll was taken to Port Macquarie Hospital for treatment to his injured foot.

Police said Mr Carroll was unable to identify what had bitten him.

“He told police he was able to twist his foot, get free, then return to shore,” a spokesman said.

“He suffered multiple minor puncture wounds to his left foot.”

A man who said he was a holidaying journalist was on the scene.

“It was funny because there was this bloke there who was taking pictures with his phone camera and he asked Mr Carroll what had happened and he replied ‘a shark’s just had a bit of a nibble’,” Mr O’Donnell said.

“I only found out afterwards he was a journalist.”

When The Argus visited the scene later in the morning many surfers were still in the water enjoying the waves with most of them taking a fairly casual attitude to the incident.

“It has been a couple of years since the last attack here, so what are the chances of it happening twice in one day,” one surfer said.

The ocean was alive on Sunday with schools of fish, dolphins and whales seen in the bays around Crescent Head.

http://www.macleayargus.com.au/news/loc ... 08484.aspx