Dad mauled by shark as beast ‘rips off his foot’ in savage attack while surfing alone off popular beach

NewsWorld News A DAD has been mauled by a shark with the predator reportedly ripping off his foot in a savage attack off a popular beach. Mel Ismail was surfing alone when he was attacked at Glenfield Beach in Geraldton, 267 miles (430km) north of Perth. Mel Ismail was surfing alone when he was attacked at Glenfield Beach in Geraldton Credit: 9 News The dad’s surfboard has been shattered by a huge bite Credit: 9 News Luckily, teenagers on the beach in Australia used a surfboard rope to create a makeshift tourniquet to save his life. Another surfer saw Ismail in distress surrounded by a pool of blood in the water and paddled out to bring him to shore. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! The deep-sea beast bit a huge chunk out of his surfboard. Ismail lost his foot in the attack, though the full extent of his leg injuries remain unclear, 9News reports. The Glenfield beach was closed after the attack Credit: 9 News Authorities have taken Ismail’s board and wetsuit to establish the species of shark behind the attack. A large section of the Glenfield beach was temporarily closed after the shark attack on Monday, the City of Greater Geraldton announced. “To ensure community safety all recreational water users are advised to avoid the area as the shark may still be in the vicinity,” the council said. Signs were displayed on the sand warning that a shark had been sighted in the area. Most read in The Sun St John Ambulance said a man in his 50s had been taken to Geraldton Hospital as a “priority one” emergency. A WA Country Health spokesperson said the man was in a serious but stable condition. The horror mauling follows a spate of shark attacks in Australia this year. Leah Stewart, 34, was savaged by a shark while swimming at Coogee Beach in Sydney in June. The attack left her in a coma for two weeks and her arm was so damaged it had to be amputated. There four attacks in just two days in January, including a 12-year-old boy who died from his injuries. A man was killed by a shark in Queensland in May. Comment now