Surfer directs own first aid following shark attack

A surfer directed his own first aid after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of Oregon.

Surfer directs own first aid following shark attack

A surfer directed his own first aid after he was attacked by a shark off the coast of Oregon.

Joseph Tanner, 29, of Portland, Oregon, was bitten in his upper thigh and lower leg while surfing on Monday afternoon near Indian Beach at Ecola State Park.

After swimming to the shore, Mr Tanner was stabilised at the scene and flown to Portland's Legacy Emanuel Medical Centre with injuries described as serious. A hospital spokesman, Brian Terrett, said he had no information about a patient with that name.

Surfer Jeff Rose told KGW-TV that Mr Tanner is a trauma nurse. A Facebook profile for a Joe Tanner of Portland indicates he works at Legacy Emanuel.

"He directed his own first aid, what needed to be done," Mr Rose said. "He asked us a lot of questions, what we were seeing, if we saw spurting blood."

The online Global Shark Attack File database shows there have been 20 attacks off the Oregon coast during the past 25 years, all involving surfers who survived. The most recent happened three years ago, off Gleneden Beach in Lincoln County.

Investigators have yet to determine what type of shark bit Mr Tanner.

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