Ouch!

May 20, 2004 14:50

megthelegend and melwil, maybe you heard about this?

Snorkeling hazards...


Man Seeks Help, Shark Attached to Leg
Man Swims, Walks and Drives for Help With Shark Attached to Leg After Snorkeling in Australia

Lifeguards at a beach north of Sydney were stunned when a man walked into their post looking for help with a small shark attached to his leg.
Luke Tresoglavic swam 1,000 feet to shore, walked to his car and drove to the local surf club with the two-foot shark biting his leg and refusing to let go.

"I just realized I had to swim in like that, hanging on to it," Tresoglavic told Australian Broadcasting Corp. radio on Wednesday.

Tresoglavic, 22, was snorkeling on a reef off Caves Beach near Newcastle on Tuesday when a wobbegong, or carpet shark, attacked his leg.

"Once I got on to shore, a couple of people tried to help me, but I could not remove it. It was stuck there, so I got up into my car and then drove to the clubhouse, and luckily the guys down there had a clue what to do," he said.

Lifeguard Michael Jones said he couldn't believe his eyes when Tresoglavic turned up -- shark in tow.

"He basically asked the question: 'Can you help me get it off?' There's nothing in our procedure manual for that type of thing," Jones said.

The lifeguards flushed the shark's gills with fresh water, forcing it to loosen its grip on Tresoglavic's leg -- with blood oozing from 70 needle-like punctures. The shark later died.

Tresoglavic was taken to hospital, but it was not immediately clear what treatment he received.

Wobbegong sharks can grow up to 10 feet in length, possess razor-sharp teeth, and are said to be moody and short-tempered.

Copyright © 2004 KABC-TV and the Associated Press.

Poor little wobbegong. He bit off a bit more than he could chew. I picked them up several times on Heron Island. They never made any attempt to bite, but they were probably smaller than that. Very floppy little sharks with lots of whiskers. They look like they need a shave.

fish

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