Man attacked by shark at Whitsundays
A man attacked by a shark in the Whitsundays has been winched from a diving pontoon on the Great Barrier Reef to a rescue helicopter.
The man, in his 20s, was bitten on the thigh in waters at Hardy Reef, about 50km northeast of Hamilton Island about 12.30pm (AEST) on Monday.
“It’s a fairly minor bite, he’s sitting up and is in a stable condition,” an RACQ Rescue spokeswoman said.
“He was from a pontoon and I believe he was diving.”
The man is being flown to the Mackay Base Hospital.
A critical care paramedic is on board the helicopter.
#RACQ #CQRescue has now winched a man in his 20s into the helicopter with a shark bite wound to his leg and will transfer him to Mackay Base Hodpital in a stable condition. pic.twitter.com/qWiGoyRqD5
— RACQ CQ Rescue (@cq_rescue) March 25, 2019
The Whitsundays region has been the site of several shark attacks in the past six months.
Victorian man Daniel Christidis, 33, died in November after being attacked at Cid Harbour at Whitsunday Island during a trip with friends and colleagues.
That incident followed separate attacks – also at Cid Harbour – on Tasmanian woman Justine Barwick and Victorian 12-year-old Hannah Papps within 24 hours in September.
-AAP