Spearfisher fighting for life after shark mauling that left his arm hanging off
A SPEARFISHER has been left fighting for his life after he was mauled by a shark.
Robbie Peck was savaged by the predator off the Pilbara coast in Western Australia moments after securing a catch.
The dad-of-three suffered serious injuries in the horror attack while his left arm was left hanging off following the ferocious bites.
Robbie had been enjoying his final day out on his boat before he sold it with his brother-in-law, a friend and his four-year-old son.
Emergency services rushed to the scene near Port Hedland following frantic reports a man in his 30s was seriously injured.
Two St John Ambulance crews were called to Richardson's Boat Ramp just after 11:30am and brought the man back to the shore.
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The experienced spearfisher was treated by paramedics at the scene and then taken to Hedland Health Campus as a priority-one patient.
The Royal Flying Doctor Service was also at the scene in case the man needed to be transferred to Perth.
Robbie's wife Emily recalled the terrifying moment she was notified about her husband's near-death incident.
She told : "Just that sinking feeling in your gut and I swear all of the blood just drained from my face.
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"It’s not a phone call you ever want to get. You expect the worse straight away when you hear shark attack.
"It was his last trip on the boat, last fish of the day and it happened."
The mum said her son was thankfully spared from the full trauma of the incident by Robbie's brother-in-law and friend.
Freedive spearfishing expert and local Wally Galli said he received a desperate call from the dad's boat after the shark had struck.
He said the group were "totally blindsided" by the creature that crept up and "surprised" Robbie while he was in the water.
"It had tried to go for the fish and misjudged its mark and bit him on the shoulder and it’s let go and had a go at him again and bit him under the arm and on the hand," Wally explained.
Experts from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development are investigating the incident.
The department urged people to check for shark activity using the SharkSmart website, app and Surf Life Saving WA Twitter feed.
The horrifying attack comes a week after a 39-year-old woman was mauled to death just 50ft from the shore at Plettenberg Bay in South Africa.
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Terrifying footage shows a great white shark savaging a diver’s cage in front of stunned onlookers in Stewart Island, New Zealand.
Another nail-biting clip shows a great white circling a man’s kayak off the California coast.
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