'Brave' WA surfer swam after shark attack
A man who helped rescue a 23-year-old surfer after a shark tore off his hand and part of his other arm says the bravest thing he has ever seen is the injured man swimming to safety.
Bunbury man Sean Pollard remains in a stable condition in the trauma unit at Royal Perth Hospital after an attack on Thursday morning near Wylie Bay at Kelpids Beach, about six kilometres east of Esperance, in Western Australia's south.
Ross Tamlin was surfing about 400m away from Mr Pollard and said they were the only ones that far out.
"I just heard this almighty scream and I just felt very uneasy by it, and knowing of the shark sightings of recent times out there, I quickly got out of the water," he told reporters in Esperance on Friday.
Mr Tamlin said he and another man drove to the spot and saw Mr Pollard lying on his back in the water.
Two men dragged Mr Pollard ashore and Mr Tamlin made the emergency phone call.
A man known as Robbie watched on as Mr Pollard collapsed before being dragged ashore.
"He's obviously swum about 100 metres with those injuries ... it was probably the bravest thing I've ever seen," he told Fairfax radio.
Robbie said an off-duty paramedic at the beach, who helped stem the bleeding with towels, saved Mr Pollard's life.
"You couldn't give her enough props," he said.
Mr Tamlin, who often visits the beach, said it was a "remarkable effort" for Mr Pollard to swim that far to safety by himself.
"For that (attack) to happen at our local break's pretty upsetting and pretty daunting," he said.
Robbie drove Mr Pollard to meet the ambulance and said the injured man remained conscious while his partner talked to him, despite losing a lot of blood.
Senior Sergeant Richard Moore has spoken with Mr Pollard's partner, Claire Oakford, and says the pair have a positive outlook on the future.
He said Mr Pollard was awake and his partner's family was flying to WA from Tasmania.
The Esperance community has also started fundraising to help with Mr Pollard's recovery with collection tins at the Shire's administration and leisure centres.
The Lions Club will arrange for the money to be given to Mr Pollard after October 17.
The state's Fisheries Department responded to the attack by catching and killing two white pointers - a protected species - on drumlines, one measuring up to 4.5 metres and the other three metres.
Fisheries have defended the move amid reports Mr Pollard might have been mauled by two bronze whalers, saying it was more likely a white pointer was responsible.
The two captured sharks will be dissected, although sharks often disgorge stomach contents so their role may never be confirmed.
Drumlines have not been redeployed but beaches from Wylie Bay to Cape Le Grand remain closed.
Mr Pollard's teammates at South Bunbury Football Club will play in a grand final this weekend and are expected to pay tribute to him.
