Dad thanks 'legends' who helped him after he fought off ferocious shark
A shark attack survivor has thanked "all the legends" who helped him up the beach after he was bitten while surfing in Western Australia.
What was supposed to be a quick morning surf for Alejandro Travaglini quickly turned into a medical emergency when the father-of-two was set upon by a large shark at Cobblestones beach in Gracetown on Monday morning.
The 37-year-old was helped by friends and strangers who used the rope on his board as a tourniquet to stem his bleeding until paramedics arrived.
Mr Travaglini, who lives in Margaret River but is originally from Argentina, had surgery for injuries to both legs and remains in a stable condition at Royal Perth Hospital.
"This thing was a big shark and it wanted to eat him," fellow surfer and witness Adam Kennedy recalled.
"He was literally fighting for his life. He was yelling and punching and he was on the back of this thing.
"It went for him, three or four times."
From his hospital bed, Mr Travaglini thanked those who helped him from the beach and worked to quell the bleeding from his leg.
Surf photographer Peter Jovic saw the attack and likened it to Mick Fanning's infamous encounter at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa.
It's not clear what kind of shark attacked him Mr Travaglini, however drone footage captured a four-metre great white shark in the area just moments earlier.
Several hours after the attack, Jason Longgrass, 41, was bitten on the leg while surfing at the nearby Lefthanders break, which was closed.
He managed to walk to an ambulance for treatment.
Fisheries had closed several beaches and issued a warning after a whale carcass and sharks reaching 4.5 metres were seen in the area.
The Margaret River Pro surfing competition, about 15km away, was suspended for one hour before resuming at Main Break with enhanced safety measures including skis and drones.
