Second man attacked by shark at WA beach just hours after father of two mauled
A second man has been attacked by a shark on a Western Australian beach not long after a father-of-two had his legs mauled.
Jason Longrass was bitten on the leg by a shark near Cobblestones Beach, south west of Perth, on Monday.
The attack happened after the Department of Fisheries warned surfers in the area of a big shark in the water, but Mr Longrass decided to keep surfing - a decision he now regrets.
"(It was) beelining straight at me,” Mr Longgrass said.
“And I went to slap the water but by then he made a sudden acceleration and just nailed the board.”
Mr Longrass made a dash for the beach and with the adrenaline kick didn’t realise he had been bitten on the leg until he was on dry land.
Earlier, 37-year-old Margaret River father Alejandro Travaglini was attacked near the beach where Mr Longgrass was bitten.
Fellow surfer Adam Kennedy said the father was “literally fighting for his life”.
“He was yelling and punching and he was on the back of this thing,” Mr Kennedy said.
“It went for him, three or four times.”
Another surfer described Mr Travaglini’s fight as being similar to Mick Fanning’s infamous run-in with a shark in South Africa in 2015.
Once free of the shark's jaws, he was able to catch a small wave and body surfed into shore, where people on the beach came to his rescue.
They used the rope from his board as a tourniquet to stop the bleeding before he was airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital.
The 37-year-old remained conscious as he was given first aid by fellow surfers and he was in good spirits once medical staff arrived.
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No one is sure what type of shark attacked him but a four-metre Great White was spotted just before Mr Travaglini was attacked.
A whale carcass with bite marks was also spotted in the water not far away.
Authorities have now issued a section 44 closure notice between Kilcarnup and North Point which means beaches, and waters up to two kilometres out to sea, cannot be used by divers, surfers and swimmers.
Fifteen kilometres away, the attacks forced Margaret River Pro organisers to temporarily call off the competition.
