Mel Ismail, 56, a firefighter and father, had his foot ripped off by a shark at the popular Glenfield Beach in Geraldton, Australia. Teenagers used a surfboard rope to create a makeshift tourniquet, saving Ismail’s life. Another surfer who spotted the father in distress in the water swam him back to shore. The surfer is in “serious but stable condition,” Australian broadcaster ABC reported. Ismail’s damaged surfboard is undergoing testing to establish the species of shark. Authorities closed a large section of the beach after the horrific incident. “To ensure community safety, all recreational water users are advised to avoid the area as the shark may still be in the vicinity,” the City of Greater Geraldton said in a statement. Shadow Fisheries Minister Kirrilee Warr, who is a Member of Parliament representing the area, said, “I do understand the victim is a well-known surfer amongst the community.” Scientists in Australia say that warming seas and increasingly crowded waters are changing where sharks migrate, possibly leading to more common shark attacks.
Read it at The U.S. Sun
