A 55-year-old experienced diver was mauled by a large shark in a remote area near the Great Barrier Reef, Australian paramedics said on Sunday. However, the diver managed to come back alive.
On Saturday, the diver was attacked by a 4 metre bull shark about 60 nautical miles to the east of Murray Island in the Torres Strait. At the time of incident, he was diving with his friends.
"He has severe bites to his left arm and some minor lacerations across his stomach," David Cameron, Queensland Ambulance Service paramedic told AFP.
The injured diver was taken to Murray Island, three hours from the dive site, by boat and he was treated by a nurse there. Cameron said that he was in a stable condition on Sunday and was due to undergo a microsurgery.
"There are several different types of sharks out near Murray Island, but the bull shark can be quite aggressive, so he is very, very lucky," he added.
The paramedic said the sharks are known to inhabit the area but shark attacks were very rare in that area, which is popular for cray fishing and free diving.
Shark attacks are increasing day by day according to the experts, as water sports become more popular and bait fish move closer to shore. But fatalities are quite uncommon.
