Two surgeries, 63 stitches
Two weeks after being bitten by a great white shark, a 25-year-old surfer has had 63 stitches removed and is setting out on the road to recovery.
But Andrew ‘‘Nugget’’ Brough realised how lucky he was to survive the attack, when he saw the state of his arm for the first time after the cast came off.
‘‘I got a bit of a fright,’’ he said. ‘‘I realised I was really just so lucky.’’
Brough was attacked by the great white shark around 6pm October 19 at Baylys Beach near Dargaville in Northland.
He suffered severe lacerations and puncture wounds to his left forearm and hand, requiring two rounds of surgery, 63 stitches and an arm cast.
Less than three weeks later, he’s out of his cast.
Brough said he has been overwhelmed by all the people trying to help him out, with various companies offering to replace his surfboard, provide him with a wetsuit and help with anything he needs to get back in the water.
‘‘The support everyone has shown me really means a lot to me, especially everyone wishing me a quick recovery,’’ he said.
As keen as he is to get back in the water, surfing for Brough won’t realistically be for a wee while. ‘‘I thought I’d be sweet as,’’ he said. However, now the cast is off, Brough realised he can’t clench a fist or bend his arm. He has a meeting with a hand specialist this week.
‘‘I will get full movement back but it will take a while.’’
His friend, who was in the water with him when the attack happened, has been back surfing. Despite a brief and initial thought for his friend’s ordeal, he was ‘‘sweet as’’.
This is probably because of how rare a shark attack is.
Brough said he’s been told: ‘‘You’ll be the only recorded shark attack in Northland.’’
So he jokes: ‘‘I could have won the Lotto, but I got bit instead.’’
US shark attack researcher Kevin Mcmurray, who collects data for a global shark attack file, read about the attack on Stuff.co.nz and contacted Brough.
‘‘Based on the distal tooth measurements a good estimate [of the great white] would be 3.2 to 3.5 metres,’’ Mcmurray said.
The bite’s radius was around 27cm, which would mean the shark was almost twice the length of Brough’s surf board.