An 11-year-old boy was mauled by a shark off the Western Australian coast during a 'once in a lifetime' trip with his family.
Archie Blake was snorkelling when he was attacked by a shark during his holiday getaway on Saturday (29 April) at 3pm local time.
The family – including Blake’s parents and three siblings - had left Hobart, Tasmania to Exmouth, which is 1,250km north of Perth in Western Australia.
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Blake and his mum, Hazel, were about 50 metres away from the shore when the shark attacked.
The young boy was left with ‘serious lacerations’ to his left leg and rushed to Perth Children’s Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
Beachgoers also rushed to help Blake after the shark attack. Marc De Sousa, who witnessed the incident, revealed how he and others on the beach gave Blake first-aid.
"I saw a fair bit of splashing, wasn't sure what had happened at the time, but as the mum and the two kids started swimming in, the mum waved out for help," he told ABC.
“We ran over and the elder of the boys, I think, got bitten on the leg by a decent shark, I'd say,
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“We just made sure he was conscious, made sure he was as good as he could be.”
He then added that he'd only ever seen small reef sharks in the area before.
De Sousa said that his father arrived at the scene soon after and then went to fetch Blake’s dad, Kieran, who is a paramedic.
"We dragged the boy further up the beach, I think it was a rash shirt we used just to apply pressure to one of the bite marks," he explained.
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De Sousa then ran to the nearby Kurrajong Campground to call for emergency services, with the ambulance taking about 40 minutes to arrive at the scene.
Blake was treated by paramedics from St John WA on the beach before being transported to the closest hospital in Exmouth.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) also said they had received the incident report at about 3pm on Saturday (29 April), which said that a snorkeller had been bitten by an 'unknown' species of shark.
Swimmers in the area have been warned to take extra caution after the incident and beaches were closed from Pilgramunna north to Bloodwood Creek in Cape Range National Park.
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Hobart councillor, Ryan Posselt, has created a GoFundMe page on Sunday (30 April) to raise money for the family.
He wrote: "The Blake family have been planning this trip for four years. Delayed and cancelled by COVID, this trip was meant to be a 'once in a lifetime' journey with primary school-aged kids to show them this great country,"
Posselt also said that Blake would need more surgery on his leg.
The money raised will go towards any accommodation, travel logistics, or any rehab that the young boy may need for his recovery.
Gregory Robinson