Share

American surfer injured in Bali shark attack

Denpasar – An American surfer has been mauled by a two-metre shark off the Indonesian resort island of Bali, sustaining a serious arm injury, a doctor said on Wednesday.

Ryan Boarman, in his 20s, was admitted to hospital in the west of the holiday island on Monday shortly after being attacked by the shark as he surfed at Balian beach.

While shark attacks are generally rare in Bali there have been several such incidents in recent years at Balian, a popular surfing spot.

Doctor Ni Gusti Ayu Made Sri Pujarini, who initially treated Boarman at a local hospital, said he was conscious when brought in.

"He said that he saw a two-metre shark just before he felt the pain," she told AFP. "His wounds were consistent with shark bite injuries, you could see the teeth marks."

Pujarini said he underwent emergency surgery and was then transferred to a bigger hospital in the Balinese capital Denpasar.

Twiggy Van Ryan, an Australian who lives near Balian, described how he saw Boarman shortly after the attack and helped dress his wound before he was taken to hospital.

"It was a pretty heavy wound, maybe four inches (10cm) either side of the tip of the elbow, basically his whole elbow had gone into the shark's mouth and then was pretty badly damaged as the shark pulled back," he said.

Between 2010 and 2012, there were at least four reports of foreigners, including a Canadian, an Australian and a South African, being attacked by sharks around the beach.

 

We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Do you think corruption-accused National Assembly Speaker Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula will survive a motion of no confidence against her?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
No, her days are numbered
41% - 399 votes
Yes, the ANC caucus will protect her
59% - 567 votes
Vote
Rand - Dollar
18.94
-0.2%
Rand - Pound
23.91
-0.1%
Rand - Euro
20.43
+0.2%
Rand - Aus dollar
12.34
+0.1%
Rand - Yen
0.13
-0.2%
Platinum
910.50
+1.5%
Palladium
1,011.50
+1.0%
Gold
2,221.35
+1.2%
Silver
24.87
+0.9%
Brent-ruolie
86.09
-0.2%
Top 40
68,346
+1.0%
All Share
74,536
+0.8%
Resource 10
57,251
+2.8%
Industrial 25
103,936
+0.6%
Financial 15
16,502
-0.1%
All JSE data delayed by at least 15 minutes Iress logo
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE