A surfer left fighting for life after a shark attack at a Sydney beach has made a miraculous recovery.
Andre de Ruyter, 27, was pulled to the shore after being bitten at North Steyne Beach in Manly, Sydney’s northern suburbs, at about 6.20pm on Monday.
Suffering from severe leg injuries, he was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital in a critical condition where he received 13 units of blood and underwent emergency surgery.
But, on Wednesday, his family confirmed that he had made a dramatic recovery.
‘We would like to express our gratitude to all the brave first responders to our son Andre relating to the shark attack at Manly Beach [Monday],’ his mother said in a statement shared with Manly Observer.
‘Andre de Ruyter, our compassionate, talented musician, graphic artist and lover of surfing has been placed in a stable condition with wonderful attentive medical staff.
‘We ask for positive energy around his recovery and will give more information when he is ready.
‘We ask for mindful care and respect of our son’s privacy till the path forward is clearer. Thank you so much. Kindly, Lisa, Olaf and Alysha, his direct family.’
Andre de Ruyter (pictured) was left in a critical condition after suffering severe leg injuries following a shark attack at Manly Beach
He was pulled to the shore at North Steyne Beach in Manly, Sydney’s northern suburbs, at about 6.20pm on Monday
Mr de Ruyter’s mother said on Wednesday that her son was in a stable condition
Max White, a Radio 2GB news reporter, was planning on surfing at Manly Beach just after 6pm on Monday, but two mates he bumped into on the way warned him against it.
Speaking with breakfast host Ben Fordham on Tuesday, he said: ‘I saw two of my mates just hanging out on the promenade, and I walked over and said to them, ‘I’ll go for a surf’.’
‘And they looked at me and started shaking their head, and they said, “No, don’t go out, you’re going to get done by a shark”.’
There had already been two shark attacks at Sydney beaches within 48 hours – Nico Antic, 12, was airlifted to hospital on Sunday afternoon with critical leg injuries after he was mauled by a bull shark while rock jumping with mates at Nielsen Park.
Earlier on Monday, an 11-year-old boy had an encounter with another shark which took a large bite out of his surfboard in Dee Why, near Manly in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
About 20 minutes after Mr White had planned to go surfing, two French tourists ran up to him and his mates, screaming because Mr de Ruyter had been attacked.
‘In the water, in the water, there’s a guy, he’s bleeding out, he’s bleeding out,’ the tourists yelled.
A 15cm bite mark on the young surfer’s board suggests he was most likely attacked by a bull shark, according to shark biologists from the primary industries department.
Northern Beaches Council lifeguards sounded the alarm immediately after the attack, then erected shark warning signs and dispatched a jet ski to patrol the water.
Surf Life Saving NSW also launched a drone to assist with locating the shark, but there have been no further sightings.