July 20, 2016: Fisherman bitten by shark off Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia.
Scott van Burck had taken a charter group of fisherman around 12 miles (20K) off the Gold Coast when he hooked a shark. The 31-year-old reeled in the 3-foot (1M) reef shark and as he brought it onboard the boat, the shark turned and latched on to the skippers’ calf.
“I just brought a shark on board and he flicked his head and it bit me on the leg,” Mr van Burck told 9NEWS.
His crew quickly jumped into action and used pliers to remove the shark from van Burck’s leg. While the crew was returning the shark to the water, Burck grabbed some padding and duct tape, which he used to wrap up his injured leg.
Unfazed by his injury, he told his customers ‘let’s keep fishing’. However, they were concerned the injury could be more serious than van Burck was letting on.
As the group was heading back to shore van Burck called his mother Tina, to tell her what happened and ask for transport to the hospital. However, Tina’s motherly instinct kicked in and she contacted 000, Australia’s 911 equivalent.
Medical personal arrived at the Muriel Henchman Drive in Main Beach at 12:53 p.m. and administered first aid. They then transported Mr. van Burck to the hospital in stable condition and will be held overnight for observation.
He plans ongoing back to work as soon as possible and continues to be in good spirits.
“It’s a good story and I’m worse off than Mick Fanning was,” van Burck joked.
There have been a total of forty-nine shark attacks bites in 2016. Five of which were fatal. Twenty-one reported in the US, with thirteen occurring in Florida. Eleven have occurred in Australia, three of which were fatal.
All locations have been marked on the 2016 shark attack bites tracking map.
