C
hris Blowes loves surfing – it the shark, but at that point he had days before his family, or his fiancé,
is his passion, his hobby, and already lost his leg. could speak to him.
his release.
“Before the shark attack I spent
Another surfer at the rocks
Chris spent six weeks in hospital
wrapped a leg rope around Chris’s before he could return home, and
almost all my free time surfing,” Chris leg to act as a tourniquet and stop once home, it was even longer before
said. “Including weekends, but if the him from bleeding out. From there, he could start any rehabilitation, or
waves were good during the week, I the three fellow surfers used a board begin to learn to use a prosthetic leg.
would usually find myself knocking off as a stretcher to carry Chris up the
work early to get a surf in. rocks to the shore. wounds from the initial bite mark on
my side that took a long time to heal,
“It was definitely my favourite
Though they’d called an
“Rehab was quite frustrating, I had
thing to do, I was obsessed with ambulance, it was still 35 kilometres which meant waiting a while before I
it, particularly travelling up and away, just leaving Port Lincoln, and so could use a prosthetic leg,” he said.
down the coast of South Australia, Chris was put in the back of his friend’s
exploring untouched beaches and car to travel toward the ambulance. as they were right where my prosthetic
finding waves with no-one around.” sits, which slowed healing time.”
On Anzac Day of 2015, Chris
When the car met the ambulance
“These wounds have caused grief
part-way to Port Lincoln, paramedics
took to the water with some mates, immediately jumped out to assist, Chris said there were new issues to
enjoying the extra time off work. but couldn’t find a pulse. Chris content with.
was clinically dead, and required
in the water, when a Great White assistance from paramedics to keep issue I faced at the start of my recovery,
shark, estimated at six metres long, blood pumping around his body for with many sleepless nights due to a
attacked Chris. 90 minutes. feeling of electric shocks and burning
There were several other surfers
Two friends who Chris had been
He was flown from Port Lincoln
Once beginning rehabilitation,
“Phantom pain was another major
in my non-existent foot,” he said.
surfing with were able to pull him to the Royal Adelaide Hospital the
to some rocks when he re-surfaced moment he was stabilised, and into phantom pain, and we found
after being dragged underwater by placed in an induced coma for ten mirror therapy, which was designed
linkonline.com.au
“My fiancé did lots of research
interview
21