INJURED – 10 September 2012 – Vava’u, Tonga – diver attacked

Kylie Maquire recovers in hospital in Tonga following a shark attack.

Treasure hunter Kylie Maguire, 29, suffered serious wounds to her buttocks and thighs from a shark attack in waters off Tonga.

Doctors who treated Kylie in Tonga estimated the length of the shark to be 3m, with teeth about 25mm across and a 40-45cm bite circumference. The shark is thought to be a bull shark.

The incident occurred on Monday 10 September 2012.

The captain of the treasure seeking boat said Kylie had paddled off with a friend in an inflatable kayak from the anchored boat near the Treasure Island Resort in Vava’u about 4pm. The shark attack occurred shortly after this. It is not clear if she was swimming or diving when the attack occurred.

She was treated initially at a hospital in Tonga and then airlifted to Brisbane for further treatment after one of the wounds became infected.

Sources:
Whitsunday Times

ABC

PIC Source:
BlueTreasure

INJURED – 1-4 September 2010? – Ha’apai islands, Tonga – diver attacked

Bjorn Jensen - Tonga shark attack victim in Auckland Hospital

Bjorn Jensen, 24, was swimming with a group of eight other tourists and two guides off the Ha’apai group of islands in Tonga in the Pacific when he was bitten on the foot by shark. He suffered severe damage to his ankle tendon and big toe, according to reports.

 Jensen was on a whale watching diving trip when the attack happened, the exact date of which was not reported except to say that it happened “late last week” which would put it as happening sometime between 1-4 September 2010.

“It’s like four big puncture wounds when it took a bite,” Jensen was quoted as saying from his hospital bed in Auckland.

Jensen said they were all swimming in a line and close to a whale and her calf so weren’t focusing on anything else.

“It was amazing as the mother whale was swimming underneath us and then suddenly I felt this whack on my foot and thought I may have banged into some coral or a whale. I was confused and didn’t know what happened so the guide swam over, and got everyone straight back on the boat,” he said.

Jensen said his foot didn’t hurt because he must have been so pumped with adrenalin and in shock. He didn’t see the shark but one of the others in the snorkelling group told him they saw what they thought was a large shark just before the whales swam towards them, and in the excitement didn’t tell anyone.

“I had blue flippers on, and all the others had yellow ones so mine must have been more tasty looking!”

A doctor from Japan was among the tourists aboard the dive boat. He treated the wound.He was airlifted to hospital in Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa where he underwent surgery to repair his badly damaged ankle tendon, and big toe and was then flown on Saturday 4 September to Auckland Hospital for more specialist surgery.

 He said he was told he may lose function in some of his toes.

“I will need more surgery and that includes a skin graft from my leg to my foot as there’s quite a bit of flesh missing.

“But I am lucky to not lose my foot or some toes and don’t believe the shark bite will affect my outdoor activities long term.”

No details regarding the type of shark were reported

Sources:
New Zealand Press Association

PIC source: NZPA