“The Bravest Thing I’ve Ever Seen”: Witness Recounts Watching Surfer Paddle to Shore After Shark Attack

“The Bravest Thing I’ve Ever Seen”: Witness Recounts Watching Surfer Paddle to Shore After Shark Attack

Sean Pollard, 23, managed to make it back to the shore by himself after having having one hand, and part of his other arm torn off by a shark. A couple of witnesses came forward and recounted their memories of the attack, and watching Pollard stumbled up the shore toward his girlfriend before collapsing.

1412289593154_wps_1_WA_surfer_Sean_Pollard_an

Witness Ross Tamlin was surfing about 400m away from Mr Pollard and said they were the only ones that far out. 

‘I just heard this almighty scream and I just felt very uneasy by it, and knowing of the shark sightings of recent times out there, I quickly got out of the water,’ he told reporters in Esperance on Friday.

Mr Tamlin said he and another man drove to the spot and saw Mr Pollard lying on his back in the water.

Dean Gaebler, who helped rescue Mr Pollard, described the moment he saw the injured surfer.

‘He (Mr Pollard) stood up and fell back on his back. When I got out to him he was just lying on his back, eyes shut,’ Mr Gaebler told Perth Now.

Two men dragged Mr Pollard ashore and Mr Tamlin made the emergency phone call.

A man known as Robbie said he had been planning to give his nephew a surfing lesson when Mr Pollard collapsed about 20 metres out and saw him being dragged ashore.

‘He’s obviously swum about 100 metres with those injuries … it was probably the bravest thing I’ve ever seen,’ he told Fairfax radio.

Mr. Pollard is said to be in “serious but stable condition” in a Perth hospital. He has a very positive attitude about the whole thing, and his girlfriend has been by his side this whole time.

Share this!

Enjoy reading? Share it with your friends!