A retired police officer used his dog's lead as a tourniquet to save a Port Macquarie surfer's life after a shark attack at North Shore Beach on July 23.
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NSW Ambulance Hastings South District acting duty operations manager, Kirran Mowbray, said the "courageous" 23-year-old man was able to "fight" the shark off and catch a wave into shore.
![In response to the shark attack, North Shore Beach has been closed, and police are currently on-site. Picture by Emily Walker In response to the shark attack, North Shore Beach has been closed, and police are currently on-site. Picture by Emily Walker](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/172575538/34c532e1-846d-410c-b24b-e59b70d339c5.jpeg/r0_538_4032_2805_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"On shore, he was very lucky at that time that a retired police officer was walking his dog," she said.
"He used the lead off the dog as a tourniquet to wrap around the young man's leg and essentially saved his life until the paramedics got there."
Police confirmed the man has been attacked by "quite a large shark" while surfing at North Shore Beach and has suffered "significant injuries to his right leg".
![There has been a "serious" shark attack at Port Macquarie's North Shore Beach. Picture by Emily Walker There has been a "serious" shark attack at Port Macquarie's North Shore Beach. Picture by Emily Walker](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/172575538/6799fd2f-3ce2-444f-9226-92f87878ce3d.jpeg/r0_0_4032_2267_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Mid North Coast Police District Chief Inspector Stuart Campbell said a passerby came to the surfer's aid and applied a makeshift tourniquet until emergency services arrived.
"At this stage, investigations appear that he was surfing alone," he said.
Insp Campbell described the scene as "traumatic" and said that police are working with the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) to locate the shark and identify its type. He said the man's family has been informed.
He said that police have "seized a number of exhibits in relation to the attack and they will be taken back to Port Macquarie Police Station".
A NSW Ambulance spokesperson said paramedics were called to the scene around 11am on Tuesday, July 23.
The man was taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital in critical but stable condition and is expected to be transported to John Hunter Hospital for further treatment.
![A man has been taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital following a shark attack at North Shore Beach. Picture by Ruby Pascoe A man has been taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital following a shark attack at North Shore Beach. Picture by Ruby Pascoe](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/168477620/d13c9eea-8dcc-41da-bd4e-036fd41d1b5f.jpg/r0_376_4032_2643_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Port Macquarie resident Kevin Young, who lost his son, Zac, to a shark attack in 2013, came to the scene to offer support.
Mr Young, a member of Bite Club, a support group for shark attack victims and their families, said he "dropped everything and came over to the North Shore" as soon as he heard the news of a shark attack.
"Hopefully, he'll be stabilised... [and] he'll be okay," he said.
He said he would be offering his support to the victim and his family.
Port Macquarie lifeguards said in a social media post that the beaches between North Shore and Lighthouse Beach (Tacking Point) will remain closed for at least 24 hours.
In April, the Port Macquarie Hastings Council unanimously passed a motion to explore the introduction of an Emergency Signage Coding System after a campaign by local shark attack survivor Toby Begg.