Lady Elliot Island: Man in 50s attacked by shark while snorkelling off Great Barrier Reef
The man was snorkelling with two other people when he was bitten in the arm.
A man in his 50s has been attacked by a shark at a popular island destination in Queensland.
The unidentified man was snorkelling with two other men off Lady Elliot Island, 85km north-east of Bundaberg, when he was attacked by a shark just after 8am this morning.
The two other men swam ashore and alerted staff at the Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort, who provided immediate assistance.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“Lady Elliot Island staff provided immediate assistance, stabilised the man and helped coordinate an emergency response,” a spokesperson for the resort said.
“The man had a bite to his right elbow. He has been airlifted by LifeFlight to the Bundaberg Hospital where he is believed to be in a stable condition.”
Queensland Ambulance Service confirmed this, and said the man sustained a deep laceration to his arm, and superficial lacerations to his abdomen and hand.
The three men were from a private vessel and were not guests of the resort.
The area which they were snorkelling in, the western side of the island, has since been closed until further notice, the resort spokesperson added.
“Resort staff and marine shark experts are monitoring the closed snorkel zone and all in-house resort guests have been informed.”
It comes after a string of shark related incidents off the east-coast of Australia made headlines in recent months.
Nico Antic was killed in a shark attack at Shark Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs after the 12-year-old sustained catastrophic injuries to his legs.
A number of other shark-related incidents have been recorded off the coast of NSW and Queensland, prompting authorities to increase shark monitoring efforts, including drumlines and aerial surveillance.
While it’s not yet known what species of shark was involved in the attack at Lady Elliot Island, tiger and great white shark species have previously been recorded in the area.
