he Department of Fisheries has set gear to capture a great white shark that is believed to have taken the leg of Ben Gerring near Mandurah on Tuesday, leaving the surfer fighting for his life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Mr Gerring was attacked about 4pm and had his right leg severed above the knee. He was later transferred from Peel Health Campus to Royal Perth Hospital with life-threatening injuries and remained in critical condition on Wednesday morning.
His fiancee Jasmine Boyer was reportedly on her way back from a work site in the Pilbara to be at his side.
Fly-in, fly-out worker Mr Gerring was surfing with friends at popular surf break Gearies Beach when he was mauled. Fellow surfers raced to his aid.
"I paddled out to them, they needed a hand and that's when I saw this fellow, he was very pale, they had him propped up on a surfboard paddling in, there was about 100m to go so we got him all the way ashore and then applied CPR," Ian Barker told reporters.
Mr Gerring's friend, Mandurah Boardriders Club president Brian Williams told the ABC he had just paddled further out into the ocean to catch a bigger wave when "all hell broke loose".
How it panned out
RELATED READING: Falcon victim among group of surfers at popular break
A man has lost his leg and is fighting for his life after a shark attack at Falcon Beach in Mandurah on Tuesday afternoon.
Fly-in, fly-out worker Ben Gerring was surfing with friends at a popular surf break around 4pm when he was mauled by an unknown shark.
The 29-year-old man, who works for Fortescue Metals Group, was rushed from Surfbreak Lookout to Peel Health Campus by ambulance around 5pm.
A friend on Facebook said, "we are all praying for you Benny, you gotta make it brother," while another said "you're a fighter my brother, knew you would pull through keep punching my man."
At 6.30pm, the RAC rescue helicopter was preparing to transfer Mr Gerring to Royal Perth Hospital.
Witness reports claimed Mr Gerring was waiting to catch a wave with around 15 others in the water nearby when he was attacked from behind by a shark.
A Falcon Bay Beach Cafe worker said two men rushed in asking for ice for a man's leg that had been bitten off around 4pm.
The City of Mandurah has closed the beach.
A member of the public, on Tuesday morning, reported a 3.5 metre great white shark about 1.8 kilometres off-shore at Pyramids Beach - around four kilometres south of Falcon.
- with Mandurah Mail
