A teenager is recovering after being bitten by a shark in Australia.
Brooklyn Sauer, 13, was off Nielsen Beach on March 15 in Queensland when she and a friend decided to cool off.
Sauer was playing in the water when a suspected tiger shark dragged her underwater before quickly releasing her. She didn’t feel any pain and was unsure what happened until she saw the shark.
She said the shark came from behind, and she heard a splash and turned to see the outline of the shark and immediately began swimming roughly 218 yards (200m) back to shore.
Sauer, who is an avid member of the local lifesaving club, said she often swims that far offshore with friends on a daily basis.
Despite having 40 puncture wounds on the abdomen and buttocks, she was able to make it back to shore. She was helped off the beach and treated by paramedics.
Matthew Davenport, Queensland Ambulance operations supervisor, stated that they received a call around 4 pm. “The young lady had been brought up to the local surf lifesaving club and into the treatment room where they began providing first aid,” he explained. “She’d received a bite to the right side of her abdomen and across the buttocks on the right side.”
The injuries primarily affected soft tissue, and reports indicate the girl remained remarkably calm during the initial treatment, though understandably shaken. “She was quite calm about the situation, still shocked. The parents arrived and were quite shocked at the incident happening,” Mr. Davenport said.
After receiving initial treatment, Sauer was transported to Bundaberg Hospital where she received 160 stitches.
The location has been marked on the 2024 Shark Attack Map.
