A surfer who is fighting for his life after a vicious shark attack has been identified as a 44-year-old father-of-two.
Toby Begg was surfing about 150m offshore from Lighthouse Beach in Port Macquarie, on NSW’s mid north coast. on Friday morning when he was attacked by a shark.
He wrestled with the shark, believed to be a great white up to 4.2 metres long, for around 30 seconds.
Fellow surfers dragged Mr Begg from the water with serious injuries from his hip down to his calf.
He was rushed to Port Macquarie Base Hospital where he underwent surgery.
Mr Begg has since been transferred to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital to undergo more surgery.
The man who was viciously attacked by what is believed be a great white whark has been identified as 44-year-old father-of-two Toby Begg (pictured)
Mr Begg’s board was split in two by the horror attack on Friday
NSW Police Chief Inspector Martin Burke confirmed Mr Begg attempted to battle with the shark and had sustained injuries during so.
‘The reports are that a man has tried to fight this shark for 30 seconds and has then swum himself to shore where he has realised he has sustained significant lower leg injuries,’ Chief Insp Burke said.
‘From what I understand, it was a sustained and prolonged attack.’
Chief Insp Burke commended an off-duty emergency doctor for stepping up at the time of the attack to help save Mr Begg’s life.
‘To have the absolute luck of having an emergency department doctor on scene are all going to be key things that are going to lend itself to giving this gentleman the best chance of survival,’ Chief Insp Burke said.
Paramedics treated the man at the scene before he was rushed to Port Macquarie Base Hospital where he remains in a critical condition and is undergoing surgery.
Inspector Joshua Smyth from NSW Ambulance said that Mr Begg received life-threatening injuries and blood loss during the attack.
‘The bystanders obviously did a remarkable job on the patient initially and to initially arrest that hemorrhage and call triple zero,’ Insp Smyth said.
‘The crews did a really remarkable job.
‘They were on scene quickly, they didn’t wait on scene for long and the patient was taken to the best and the most appropriate destination.’
The attack occurred about 150 metres offshore from Lighthouse Beach in Port Macquarie (pictured) on Friday morning, fighting off the beast for around 30 seconds
Mr Begg sustained significant injuries from his hip to his calf, losing large amounts of blood before an emergency doctor who happened to be on the scene came to his aid
One teenage girl who witnessed the horror unfold described the shark as being ‘really big’ and said first responders were using the man’s leg rope and sticks to keep his limb straight.
‘His foot ripped off and basically he was bleeding everywhere,’ she told NBN News.
‘They were trying to talk to him, he was silent, he was frozen.’
Another witness said the shark tried to attack a second time when others surfers were helping the victim to shore.
Loren Enfield was one of the surfers in the water when the shark attacked and said locals had dragged the man safely to the sand within a few minutes.
‘It was awful, you wouldn’t want to see it happen to anyone,’ she told the Port News.
‘I never want to see it happen again. It was big.’
Ms Enfield paddled to shore as quickly as she could before alerting a nearby mother and daughter to phone an ambulance.
Lighthouse Beach and other nearby beaches will now be closed for at least 24 hours.
Mid North Coast Lifeguard Coordinator James Turnham said it had been nearly ten years since a shark attack in the area.
Paramedics worked on Mr Begg before he was transported via helicopter to Port Macquarie Base Hospital to undergo surgery
Lighthouse Beach is not patrolled by lifesavers at this time of year, with surrounding beaches also closed to swimmers and surfers
A Surf Life Saving NSW drone will be used to determine the size and species of the shark who bit the man, according to a local surf lifesaving club, but it’s believed to have been a large Great White.
‘We hope and pray for a good outcome for the victim involved,’ the club said in a post to Facebook.
Lighthouse Beach is not patrolled at this time of year.
The Australian Lifeguard Service has put up signs at the beach to warn people to stay out of the water.
Experts from the NSW Department of Primary Industries have launched an investigation into the incident and are liaising with officers from Mid North Coast Police District.
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