The severed leg of a surfer who survived an attack by a great white shark later washed up on the shores as he was receiving life-saving treatment in hospital.
Kai McKenzie's right limb was found on the sand at North Shore Beach in the Australian city of Port Macquarie shortly after the startling incident on Tuesday (23 July) morning.
New South Wales police said locals put the leg on ice before it was blue lighted to the John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where the 23-year-old victim was already being treated for his serious injuries.
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His family are now said to be in talks with vascular surgeons and specialists as doctors try to determine whether the limb can be reattached following the terrifying shark attack.
Kai, a sponsored surfer, was riding the waves at North Shore Beach at around 11am when what is believed to have been a three-metre great white shark set upon him, tearing off his right leg and taking a huge chunk out of his surfboard.
Incredibly, he managed to fight off the shark and caught a wave back to shore, while beachgoers who had watched the incident unfold sprang into action and tried to stem his severe blood loss after he reached the sand.
Bystanders and an off-duty police officer who was walking his dog nearby saw Kai and rushed to help him.
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The quick-thinking pet owner then used his dog's lead as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
NSW Ambulance Service Hastings South acting duty manager, Kirran Mowbray, heaped praise on the off-duty cop, saying he had 'essentially saved Kai's life until the paramedics got there'.
Despite his leg being completely severed, Mowbray said the surfer somehow managed to keep his cool.
He said: "He was quite calm and able to talk to us - he was completely with it. He’s just a really brave and courageous young man."
The 23-year-old is now recovering in hospital, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
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Family friend Lauren Mac has launched a GoFundMe to help Kai and his loved ones financially as he faces 'a long road to recovery' - regardless of whether or not his leg can be reattached.
In a post on the fundraiser, she explained that Kai is 'awaiting surgery', before urging people to 'dig deep' and give whatever they can to assist with funds for his recovery and rehabilitation.
Lauren added: "The McKenzie’s are a local family with hearts of gold that would never expect or ask anything of anybody, so let’s give back and show them that they have the communities support in this."
Australia's Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) said it suspects a three-metre-long great white shark was responsible for the attack, adding that 15 of them have been detected in the area this last week.
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"Following the incident, the government's shark team have set an additional two SMART drumlines in addition to the four that were set, as normal, this morning," a spokesperson for the department told 9News.
SMART drumlines detect sharks in the area and alert crews to their presence, who then intercept the predators, tag them and relocate them offshore.
North Shore Beach was also closed following the attack.
Well wishes have been pouring in for Kai online, while his surfing sponsor, Rage, shared a social media post describing him as an 'inspiring person'.
Topics: Australia, Sharks, Shark Attacks, Health, World News
Olivia Burke