The horror moments before a NSW father-of-two was attacked by a 4m long great white shark while surfing was captured on camera by a photographer searching for dolphins.
Toby Begg is facing multiple surgeries after losing a leg during the attack on Friday at Lighthouse Beach in Port Macquarie.
A photographer captured the shark lurking near Begg and the group of surfers he was with, minutes before it attacked.
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Witnesses say the 44-year-old fought the shark for about 30 seconds before swimming back to shore with critical injuries.
Begg was flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle, where he remains.
He has undergone several surgeries, and his condition has improved from critical to serious but stable.
Begg’s brother-in-law Chris Lenihan said Begg suffered “extremely serious and life-changing” injuries in the attack and faces a long road to recovery.
“It is very early stages and the full extent of his injuries are being uncovered,” Lenihan said.
“However, he will require many surgeries and has years of rehabilitation ahead of him.”
Lenihan described Begg as a “loving partner” to his sister Tracy, adding that the couple had two “beautiful” children.
“He is a skilled builder, runs a business and is the family breadwinner,” Lenihan said.
A fundraiser has been launched to assist Begg’s family with his medical and rehabilitation expenses.
Police said Begg was surfing about 150m offshore with six others when he was bitten on the legs in a “fairly sustained and prolonged attack”.
“The reports are the man has tried to fight this shark for up to 30 seconds and then swum himself to shore, where he has realised he’s sustained significant lower leg injuries,” Chief Inspector Martin Burke said on Friday.
Lenihan said the family was grateful to bystanders who applied a tourniquet to Begg’s legs and performed first aid until paramedics arrived.
“Thankfully, an off-duty emergency doctor was on scene to assist him,” Lenihan said.
Burke said the quick-thinking actions of passersby and the luck of having an emergency department doctor on the scene were key elements to “giving this gentleman the best chance of survival”.
Begg was initially taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital in a critical condition for emergency surgery. 7NEWS confirmed he lost at least one of his legs.
He was then flown to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle on Friday evening, where 7NEWS understands he underwent further surgery to try to save his other leg.
Lighthouse Beach was closed following the attack and remained shut on Saturday.
“We hope and pray for a good outcome for the victim involved,” Port Macquarie ALS Lifeguards said.
NSW Department of Primary Industries experts determined the shark involved in the attack was a 3.8m to 4.2m long great white shark.
However, no sharks matching the description have been spotted in the area since the attack.
It is understood the beach has four SMART drumlines used to detect sharks but this shark was not tagged.
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