KEY POINTS:
Two Kiwi tourists saved the life of an Australian boy savaged by a great white shark off a remote beach near Perth yesterday.
Australian police sergeant Ray Wharton told the Herald on Sunday last night that Zak Golebiowski, 15, would have died without the quick thinking of Amy and Peter Hickmott.
Zak lost his right leg below the knee and part of his left calf when he was attacked by a 5-metre great white while surfing off Wharton beach at Duke of Orleans Bay in Western Australia early yesterday morning.
Acting sergeant Laurie Seton, from Esperance police, also said quick thinking and swift action by Amy and Peter Hickmott in strapping a cord around Zak's leg saved the boy's life. "They kept the blood loss to a minimum and that has probably made the difference between him having his life saved, and being in a relatively stable condition, to being much worse off.
"They bundled him into a car and raced him to the hospital. Police met them and provided an escort until they could meet the ambulance."
The owner of the Duke of Orleans Bay Caravan Park told the Herald on Sunday the couple had been through a draining and emotional experience and were shattered. "They might have gone down the pub for a beer. They did a very good job and they were very appreciated here."
The boy's father Les Golebiowski said the tourniquet and first aid given by the Hickmotts made all the difference. "I'd say the people on the beach probably saved his life," Perth's Sunday Times newspaper reported.
"You don't expect your kid to be bitten by a shark. You'd expect him to be hurt in a car accident, but not this. At least he's still with us, that's the main thing."
Jan Golebiowski, 25, was at the beach with his brother when the shark struck. He said Zak had been conscious and was talking to ambulance officers throughout the ordeal. He thanked those involved in helping his brother get to hospital.
"He's in good spirits considering what happened. He's lucky to be alive."
A St John Ambulance spokesman said the New Zealand family from a nearby caravan park helped the boy, put him in a car and met an ambulance halfway to Esperance Hospital.
"They definitely saved his life by doing what they did," the spokesman said.
Zak was flown to Perth yesterday afternoon and admitted to Royal Perth Hospital, where he was in a stable condition last night.
Peter Hudson, owner of Esperance Diving and Fishing, told the Sunday Times he had more than 20 year's diving and fishing experience off Western Australia's southeast coast and it was the first great white attack he knew of.
"It's dreadful, a dreadful shame. It's almost unbelievable. There's always the odd shark out there, but there's never been an attack. We've been 23 years in this business and we've only ever seen the odd white pointer.
"We've put down thousands and thousands of divers and never had a problem. That's indicative of his misfortune."
