Surfer survives vicious shark attack off Western Australia coast

Carnarvon - A 34-year old man suffered serious injuries but was conscious after being rescued from a shark attack off Western Australia's Gascoyne coast. The shark bit the surfer on the abdomen and then latched onto his arm as he tried to fight off the attack.

ABC quotes witness Rebecca Caldwell saying while they didn't see the shark, they did see the injured man. She says her children helped carry the man out of the water, "The water was full of blood." "He was conscious the whole way back though he was OK, he was good. He's in good spirits, as well as he could be." The Herald Sun says Department of Fisheries spokesman Tony Cappelluti says while the man's injuries were serious, they don't appear to be life-threatening. "The surfer was attacked by the shark, was bitten on the abdomen somewhere, tried to fend off the shark. The shark has then bitten him on the arm and he's got some fairly serious arm injuries.'' He was taken to nearby Carnarvon Hospital to be stabilized and will be airlifted to Perth tonight for further treatment. An official in Carnarvon Shire says the remote beach, popular with tourists, has now been closed. The Brisbane Times says there have been five fatal shark attacks in less than a year off Western Australia's coast.