Two British tourists were attacked by a shark while snorkelling in the Whitsunday Islands, Queensland, on a day trip from a tourist boat. Danny Maggs, 22, from Plymouth, suffered deep lacerations to his right calf, while Alistair Raddon, 28, from Southampton, had his right foot amputated.
The men were reportedly “wrestling and thrashing about in the water” before the attack. They were brought back to the Abell Point marina at Airlie Beach, where they were treated before being flown to hospital by helicopter. Two German paramedics who were on board the cruise boat as guests provided initial first aid.
Jamie Dart, Maggs’s former manager, said he spoke to Maggs’s parents who confirmed the 22-year-old was in hospital but expected to recover. Dart described Maggs as a “nice, caring lad” who is “full of life”. Maggs had been travelling for nearly two years and had initially planned a one-year trip.
A Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) manager said the patients were transported in a stable but serious condition. The attack comes amid a debate about shark control in Queensland, following a court ruling that forced the removal of lethal drum lines from the Great Barrier Reef marine park.
