Readers Digest NZ Dec/Jan 2025

PHOTO CREDIT: SEAN POLLARD That was like my real driving force in that moment – just to make it to the beach. At that point, I got bumped by a second shark, so it was all pretty gnarly!” Despite his horrific predicament, some crucial luck was on Sean’s side that day. There were a number of trained, ‘first responders’ standing close enough on the beach to imme- diately render life-saving first aid. Sean quickly had a torniquet applied to every limb and his girlfriend’s surf- board was used as a makeshift stretcher. As his first responders treated him for shock and contacted emergency services, he was quickly loaded into a 4WD to take him off the beach, to meet the approaching ambulance. Thanks to the quick actions of everyone at the scene, Sean arrived at Esperance Hospital within 45 minutes of his attack – but more blood was desperately needed to address Sean’s catastrophic blood loss. The Royal Flying Doctor Service was called into action, with an RFDS flight quickly delivering the life- saving blood Sean needed, before transferring Sean to Royal Perth Hos- pital for two emergency surgeries. After a long stint in intensive care, Sean’s next stop would be as one of the very first rehab patients at the brand-new Fiona Stanley Hospital. The resilient young surfer then had to learn to walk with full leg splints, while awaiting a long-term solution to regain any function fromhis upper limb injuries. Above: The Royal Flying Doctor Service was instrumental in delivering blood, as well as tranferring him to the Royal Perth Hospital for emergency surgery. Right: A bitemark left in Sean’s surfboard by one of the sharks. readersdigest.co.nz     27 Drama in Real Life PHOTO CREDIT: SEAN POLLARD this beach and suddenly you’re rid- ing it into shore! It’s just an incredible feeling.” But in October 2014, while on a surfing trip to Esperance on the south coast of WA with his then girl- friend Claire, Sean’s love of the ocean very nearly cost him his life. While catching waves on his own at a break called Kelpbeds, he was attacked by not just one, but two, great white sharks. “It was a bit overcast that day,” Sean recalls. “The water was glassy and crystal clear and there wasn’t much wind around. I was trying to make the most of it because I was on holidays. So, I caught this wave and then I was paddling back out into position, about a hundred meters from the shore. That’s when I felt this massive bump from underneath me. Later examinations of Sean’s inju- ries and the bite marks on his surf- board, along with witness accounts from the beach, would later confirm that the excruciatingly painful ‘bump’ Sean felt, was actually the first of a series of bites from a 3.5m great white shark. Frantically trying to use his surfboard as a shield, Sean saw the same shark charge him again, ‘like a torpedo’, from 20 metres away. Within seconds, it had com- pletely bitten off his left arm, along with his entire right hand. Over- whelmed by adrenalin and suffering deep lacerations to both his left and right legs, Sean realised his only chance of survival was to turn onto his back and kick his way to shore - eventually body surfing a wave into the shallows. Feeling himself fading from blood loss and shock and con- fronted by the unfathomable sight of his torn and damaged arms, Sean just hoped to reach the beach before he lost consciousness. “The shark just came up out of the water at me and took my left arm and, and right hand, straight down underwater. It was pretty dire and there was lots of blood in the water. But I was also pretty clear in my thinking at that point. I was like, ok, I’m probably going to die. But I want to make it back to the beach, so my family knows what happened to me. Sean surfing in years prior to the shark attack. 26   december 2025/january 2026