Two shark attacks at same WA beach

A SECOND man has been attacked by a shark close to where a surfer was mauled but managed to bodysurf back to shore where friends applied a tourniquet to stem his bleeding.

Alejandro Travaglini, 37, was bitten on the lower leg at Cobblestones beach in Gracetown just before 8am yesterday and also had cuts to his other leg.

Friends used rope from his board as a tourniquet and pro- vided first aid until emergency crews arrived from Margaret River within six minutes, a St John Ambulance spokesman said.

Mr Travaglini was flown to Royal Perth Hospital where he remains in a stable condition in the trauma unit following surgery.

The second man, believed to be in his 40s, walked to an ambulance after he was bitten on the leg several hours later at the nearby Lefthanders break. Surf Life Saving WA says sharks ranging from 2.5 to 4.5 metres and a whale carcass have been spotted there.

Surf photographer Peter Jovic saw the attack on Mr Travaglini.

“If anyone is familiar with the Mick Fanning moment at Jeffreys Bay a couple of years ago, it was very similar to that, where a shark pretty much popped up and ended up knocking a surfer off his board,” he told ABC radio.

“The surfer who was being attacked ended up miraculously bodysurfing into a little wave and getting pushed in by a local at the same time, who was out there with him, and making it to shore before everyone came to his aid.”

The Margaret River Pro surfing competition, about 15km away from the attack, was suspended for an hour before resuming at Main Break with enhanced safety measures including skis and drones.