Crescent Head: Perfect swell sees surfers return to scene of shark attack
More than 50 surfers, including groms as young as 12, have lined the famous surf reserve of Crescent Head point just one day after a man almost lost his arm to a three-metre great white shark.
Mid-North Coast
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Children as young as 12 have brushed off concerns over a shark attack at Crescent Head to tackle near-perfect swells just one day after a man almost lost his arm to a three-metre great white.
More than 50 surfers lined the famous Crescent Head point on Tuesday afternoon, less than 24 hours after off-duty medical staff worked tirelessly to save the blood flow from shark bite victim Joe Hoffman’s arm.
Police confirmed on Tuesday that doctors had been able to save Mr Hoffman’s arm following a successful surgery at John Hunter Hospital.
He was one of about 10 surfers out when the attack happened — one fifth the amount surfing on Tuesday underneath clear blue Crescent Head skies.
Suffolk Park surfer Mark Brindley had just returned from a surf session on Tuesday, unfettered by Monday’s events.
He said his son, 12, was still out in the six-to-eight foot surf – the last thing on his mind in the perfect conditions would be the thought of a shark in the water.
“We arrived last night and the caravan next to us told us what happened,” he said.
“We’d just driven four hours and I said well the kids won’t be surfing tomorrow, but we knew the waves where going to be good today and I thought ‘oh, we’ll just see what happens.’
“I’m sure if I’d seen it or been a part of it, it might be a bit different.”
Rob Klau, of Bawley Point on the NSW south coast, said ‘lightning can strike twice’, but it’s not enough to keep him dry.
“You do get a bit shaken by these things and I know lightning can strike twice in the same place, and statistically it can happen, but I’m not too worried.”
Point Break Cafe owner, Mel Coram, is a surfer herself but said she’d much rather be working behind the coffee machine in the surf club than catching waves today.
“My partner’s a pro surfer and he won’t go in,” she said. “I think we just need to give it a day or two out of respect.”
Ms Cobram has the keys to the Kempsey-Crescent Head Surf Club building and access to the shark alarm, which on unpatrolled days, she’s been told to initiate when there’s an attack.
Her views are that serious thought needs to be given to year-round patrols, particularly during school holidays.
“If I was a parent, I wouldn’t let my children out there,” she said.
“There really should be a lifeguard on duty at the moment, particularly at such a popular beach.”
Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Mid-North Coast Police District Inspector Martin Burke said doctors advised police this morning that Mr Hoffman’s surgery was a success.
“He went in to surgery overnight and this morning we’ve been advised that at this stage the surgery has saved his right arm, but it is still very early stages,” Insp. Burke said.
“That is some pleasing news.”
Not without the quick thinking action of bystanders – understood to have been senior trauma surgical staff from John Hunter Hospital holidaying at the time – would Mr Hoffman have been so lucky.
They sprung into action applying tourniquets using the leg leash rope from his board.
When paramedics arrived on scene, he was stabilised before being flown to John Hunter Hospital in a serious condition.
One of the local surfers who helped carry Joe ashore, Josh Shorrick, said he was incredibly brave despite the pain.
“We carried him to the BBQ area where ambos could reach him. Six of us helped,” he said. “I hope he’s going to be all right.”
Insp Burke said for a terrible situation, it was almost the “perfect storm in terms of expertise on the ground”.
“The biggest message we want to get out to the community at the moment, a number of off duty medical staff, ambulance staff, trauma doctors, doctors, nurses, for a terrible situation, it was almost the perfect storm of events in terms of the expertise on the ground,” he said.
“Those initial efforts of those people has certainly gone a long way to saving this young man and saving his arm.”
Insp. Burke said he did not have the same admiration, however, for those surfers who have ignored Tuesday’s beach closures and paddled out at both Killick and Crescent Head beaches.
“We urge anyone if there is a closed beach order, to heed that warning,” he said.
“That is there for a warning. I know the Department of Primary Industries and Surf Life Saving NSW work very closely in trying to make the beaches very safe for people to go about their surfing.
“There are a number of apps that people can use to get updates about shark sightings in the area. I urge them to use those and exercise reasonable caution when they’re about to go into the beach to go surfing.
“It is frustration when people do not heed the warnings of closed beaches. It’s extremely irresponsible for people to be ignoring close beach orders, they are put in place for inherent safety.
Mr Hoffman’s father, Bill Hoffman, told the Sunshine Coast Daily that he and his wife Wendy, who were both making their way to John Hunter Hospital on Tuesday, wanted to thank all wellwishers who had been in touch since the incident.
“Wendy and I would like to thank everyone who’s been involved with the care of our son since this incident,” he said.
“We’re extremely grateful to and would like to thank the first people to respond on the beach,” he said.
“We understand they included medical personnel with the appropriate expertise which again we feel very fortunate for.”
DPI Scientists had confirmed that a three-metre great white had been responsible after analysis of the two-foot bite mark on Mr Hoffman’s board.
People are urged to follow safety advice from Surf Life Saving NSW and by visiting the Department of Primary Industry’s website www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/sharks and the SharkSmart app.
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