Beachgoers at Port Macquarie in Australia made a shocking discovery earlier this week when a severed leg washed ashore.
The leg belonged to 23-year-old Australian surfer Kai McKenzie, who was attacked by a shark on Tuesday while surfing off North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie.
CNN affiliate 7News reported that McKenzie had fought off the shark, which had severed his right leg.
Despite bleeding heavily from his injuries, he managed to ride a wave back to the beach.
A retired police officer, who was walking his dog nearby, acted quickly to save McKenzie's life.
“He used the lead from the dog as a tourniquet to wrap around the young man’s leg and essentially saved his life until paramedics got there,” said NSW Ambulance Service Hastings South duty manager Kirran Mowbray.
The New South Wales Police confirmed to CNN that emergency services responded to the scene of the “reported shark attack.”
McKenzie underwent surgery at John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle and remains in stable condition, according to a GoFundMe set up by a neighbor of his family.
The severed leg was also taken to the hospital in case doctors could reattach it, 7News reported.
A Resilient Surfer
McKenzie had recently returned to surfing after breaking his back last year, according to surfwear brand Rage, which sponsors him.
The company praised his resilience on Instagram, saying, “He has been through a lot breaking his back last year, he never once complained always just got on with doing what he loved as soon as possible. He is an inspiring person.”
Port Macquarie lifeguards closed a long stretch of beaches for 24 hours after the attack, reopening them on Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities are attempting to track and identify the shark using drones and SMART drumlines, a type of trap that relocates sharks without killing them, according to NSW Police Chief Inspector Stuart Campbell.
Shark monitoring devices along the coastline detected two white sharks in the area on Tuesday morning before the attack.
Authorities continue to monitor the area to ensure the safety of beachgoers.
