Survivor of Australian shark attack recounts encounter and rescue
Mel Ismail, who lost his lower right leg after a shark bite at Glenfield Beach, described the attack and the rescue efforts that brought him to safety.
Mel Ismail, a surfer and professional firefighter, survived a shark bite that severed his right leg below the knee while surfing at Glenfield Beach near Geraldton on September 14. In his first interview since the incident, he said he noticed the animal’s eye and felt it “winked” at him as he tried to shield his face.
Ismail told ABC that he initially thought a dolphin had struck him before the shark grabbed him and dragged him underwater. He later managed to catch a wave that carried him roughly 20 metres toward shore, where he was assisted by fellow surfer Shannan Dunn, who helped him onto a board and asked, “Where’s the shark?”
Bystanders fashioned a tourniquet from a rope and called an ambulance, while two teenagers helped transport Ismail in Dunn’s vehicle to meet emergency services. He said the support from onlookers kept his spirits up.
Authorities have not identified the shark species involved. The incident occurred four days before a 63-year-old swimmer was fatally attacked by a large white shark off Sorrento Beach, and it adds to a series of shark-related fatalities in Australia this year.