Husband of woman bitten by shark at Beachport speaks of her ordeal

The husband of shark attack victim Pam Cook has described how his wounded wife managed to pull herself out of the water.

The husband of shark attack victim Pam Cook has opened up about the incident which left his wife requiring surgery and “a big chunk” of her leg missing.

Ms Cook, 64, was seriously injured when a suspected juvenile great white shark attacked her during a daily swim with a dozen friends near Beachport jetty, at 7.45am on Monday.

“She was swimming along and something hit her foot and she thought it was one of the other swimmers,” Greg Cook, 66, said.

“She saw the shark come at her thigh and it took a big chunk out of her.

“She called to the other girls (who were swimming with her) and she pushed the shark off.”

Mr Cook, who was “just walking down to get a coffee”, received a call from one of the other swimmers and rushed to the scene.

Beachport shark attack survivor Pamela Cook with her husband Greg. Picture: Facebook

He said Pam sustained “a bite on her right ankle and her right thigh”, which left her with potentially-permanent damage, and had five-and-a-half hours of surgery on Monday night.

Ms Cook was only 120 metres off shore when the shark came for her.

Mr Cook described how his wife pulled herself out of the water and up a ladder on the jetty, despite her injuries, to prevent the shark from causing more damage.

“She had to let go of the flap on her leg and she thought ‘shit, I don’t want to do this’ but it was still attached so she let go of it and climbed up,” Mr cook said.

Two of her other “gutsy” friends – part of the Sea Urchins group that swims every morning at Beachport – remained in the water to support her climbing the ladder, Mr Cook said.

“The other two girls stayed in the water while Pam climbed the ladder, that’s gutsy, wouldn’t you climb the ladder first?” he said.

Mr Cook recalled that one of the jetty workers drove the rapid response vehicle, stationed just 100 metres away, along to where Ms Cook was lying bleeding.

He said Ms Cook was then “made comfortable” while she waited half an hour for the ambulance from Millicent.

“They had it under control, there’s no use me panicking,” Mr Cook said.

He said she was recovering well.

“She’s lost a bit of sensation in her right foot and she’s lost a bit of feeling in her left hand through a severed tendon when she was pushing it (the shark) off,” Mr Cook said.

“She’s had minor surgery on both hands.”

But despite her injuries, Mr Cook said on Tuesdays that he expects Pam will be “up walking today”.

He said due to the quick thinking of her friends and jetty workers “she lost hardly any blood from here to Mt Gambier”.

He praised the other “heroic” swimmers with Pam during the incident.

“For the other girls to stay in the water and help Pam, that’s pretty heroic,” Mr Cook said.

And his wife had this message for everyone who helped to save her life. “I’m grateful to the Urchins, the first responders and everyone who helped,” she said.

When the couple, married 46 years, moved to Beachport in 1984, originally from Victoria, they never imagined they would be involved in a shark attack.

Beachport jetty. Picture: Frank Monger

Ms Cook even took precautions to prevent potential attacks, as Mr Cook revealed that he believes seals, which draw in the sharks, are part of the reason she became a target.

“I think the problem is now the New Zealand fur seals are taking away the bait so the sharks are coming in further looking for bait,” Mr Cook said.

“That’s why Pam always wore bright coloured bathers because she wouldn’t want to look like a seal.

“She said ‘that’s killed my theory’.”

In the town Ms Cook has been known for her community involvement.

She has volunteered for Meals on Wheels, played in the local ukulele group and paints, in addition to her involvement with the Sea Urchins.

“She’s a genius,” Mr Cook said.

And the couple, who “just love each other’s company” used to swim together too, before hip surgery limited Mr Cook’s ability to get in the water.

Police at Beachport jetty after a shark bit local swimmer Pam Cook. Picture: Frank Monger

“I’ve had nine hip operations, they’re steel and they get cold so this time of year I have to wait,” Mr Cook said.

“I stopped when it gets too cold.”

But Ms Cook never minded the cold during her swims, even in winter, which would involve swimming 250 metres up the jetty and back.

“She’s never worn a wetsuit because she likes the benefit of the water on her skin,” Mr Cook said.

They even learned to swim together at the nearby salt water Pool of Siloam, Mr Cook fondly recalled.

“All you had to do was fling your arms over and you’d float because it was so salty,” Mr Cook said.

Now, Ms Cook will have to “take baby steps” to building her strength in the water again.

But most of all, Mr Cook said he is just grateful she is still alive.

“She’s alive, why be upset and we still have her, we haven’t lost her,” he said.

Mr Cook said he was advised by doctors she will remain in Mount Gambier Hospital for “four to five days” while she recovers.

And Pam will be back in the water, Mr Cook said.

“She loves swimming and she will swim again,” he said.

But the rest of the group will be reluctant to go back in the water, Mr Cook said.

“Someone will have to go first (before the group follows).”

Mr Cook, a council worker, said he will take time off work “for as long as it takes for Pam to heal”.

Meanwhile, the search for the shark has been halted.

The State Emergency Service (SES) said it searched for the shark between 12pm and 5pm.

“After completing the drone-aided search at the designated area of the beach, the SES is no longer going to pursue finding the shark,” a statement said.

Beachport shark attack survivor Pamela Cook. Picture: Facebook

Beachport Beach was closed after the shark attack. Picture: Beachport Surf Life Saving Club .

Fortunately, Ms Cook was immediately helped by her friends, fellow swimmers and bystanders who provided her with first-aid.

Ms Cook, a local hotel worker, is an avid member of the swim group, which meets at the town’s rotunda at 7.30am daily.