Shark Attack Victim: Life Flashed Before My Eyes

Illawarra Mercury

Tuesday December 5, 2000

A shark attack victim has described how his life flashed before his eyes when a bronze whaler ripped open his arm.

Chris Hogan, 38, was spearfishing with six mates at Sykes Reef, near Heron Island off central Queensland, on Sunday when the 1.8m shark attacked.

Mr Hogan, from Coffs Harbour, said the shark grabbed his left arm as it went for a fish he had hooked to a tag line attached to his body.

``It was like the old saying that your life flashes before your eyes," Mr Hogan said from his hospital bed yesterday. Mr Hogan was flown to Rockhampton Hospital where microsurgeons worked for 10 hours to repair blood vessels and nerve endings in the lower arm and stitched wounds above and below his elbow.

He said his main concern after the attack had been to get back to their boat.

``I was losing a lot of blood and I was concerned that he (the shark) might come back," Mr Hogan said.

``There was a lot of blood in the water. I was trying to swim to them (his mates) and my heart was racing.

``In the back of my mind, I knew that the shark wouldn't come back for me but I thought he might and I was getting very weak. It seemed to take forever to get to the boat and my arm was throbbing."

Despite his brush with death, Mr Hogan planned to return to the water as soon as possible.

``I love spearfishing with a passion, I was just unlucky."