An angler has told of his dramatic escape after he was bitten by a shark off the coast of Ireland.
Sebastian Achim, a content creator from Dungarvan, was reportedly with friends catching blue sharks off the coast of Ardmore, a fishing village in County Waterford on the south coast, on Tuesday when he was attacked.
Mr Achim told All About Cork with Paul Byrne that the shark bit his leg after he pulled it from the water.
“The catch decided to lunge at my leg and grab my calf” he said. “It managed to rip part of my calf and do damage that we required special services for.”
Mr Achim said his friends managed to intervene quickly enough to pull the shark off, but he was already fearing for the worst.
“Blood was spraying everywhere ... I knew it was bad ... I was thinking about the damage and I just wanted to get home – actually, I was hoping to get home,” he said.
The Irish Coast Guard in Dublin received a report of the shark attack at 4.16pm on Tuesday, sending out a helicopter from Waterford and two RNLI lifeboats.
Ballycotton RNLI in Cork said it was called by the coast guard to help a “five-metre pleasure craft” with five people on board.
Mr Achim said his friends kept him stable with a makeshift tourniquet and a wrap for the 10cm wound on his leg until the air ambulance arrived and took him to Cork University Hospital.
Doctors were able to treat Mr Achim and save the leg, but he will need further surgeries, according to the Irish Independent.
Ballycotton RNLI coxswain Eolan Walsh said in a statement that the patient “received urgent medical assistance as quickly and safely as possible”.
“Incidents such as this are a reminder that conditions at sea can change quickly and that anyone heading offshore should make safety a priority,” he said, as reported by the BBC.
“Ensure your vessel is suitable for the conditions, wear a properly-fitted lifejacket or personal flotation device, carry a reliable means of communication, and make sure someone ashore knows your plans."
The Independent contacted the RNLI and the Irish coast guard for comment.
