'Like a scene from Jaws':: Shark bites surfer on leg and stalks him to shore save
Glen Folkard, surfer, was attacked by a shark at Redhead Beach near Newcastle while catching some waves. The shark was believed to be a bull shark, which hauled him under and made a huge cut on his leg while taking a huge chunk from his board.
Despite the wound, he managed to escape and paddle to shore while being aided by his fellow surfers. Immediately he was assisted by the local lifeguards.
Peter, one of the surfers, said his son did see the shark as it leaps out of the water to grab a fish and told Fairfax it was a bull shark. According to Peter, Folkard arrived at the shore losing a lot of blood as his skin already turned gray.
Peter described the incident as like that of Jaw's first scene where everyone's getting pulled out of the sea and the weather is great and water's tempting.
Some of the witnesses said the shark was still circling the area after the incident. There were about 100 people enjoying the water at that time and most are swimming towards a flagged area.
Glen Folkard was taken to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital and got operated on Wednesday night for his deep cut on his leg. Thursday morning, he was already in a stable condition, according to a spokesman.
The coastline that extends about 24km was closed after the tragic event and he closure of the area includes Caves Beach, Redhead Beach, Catherine Hill Bay and Blacksmith Beach.
A helicopter was sent by the authorities to patrol the area according to Paul Stone, Lake Macquarie lifeguard supervisor.
Stone said beaches may then reopen despite the following attack that happened at North Avoca. Another surfer was mauled by a shark and got his arm bitten. Stone claimed that these attacks were not typical.