Photo: GoFundMe
A 15-year-old Australian surfer was mauled to death by a shark in front of his father on Thursday (December 28), 7News reports.
Khai Cowley, 15, was surfing at around 1:30 p.m. local time at Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park when the great white shark attack took place.
“I started moving down toward the beach and I could see the dad on the rocks sort of yelling and his son swimming towards him,” said local surfer Tim Philip via 7News, who estimated the shark to be about 13 feet long. “Then it started to head back out to sea. I was in waist-deep water and just made the decision to run back … chest-deep at this point, grab him and managed to drag him back to shore, back to the people on the beach.
“It was just a matter of … I didn’t want to see his body out to sea, so did what I could.”
Paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to save Cowley, who succumbed to the injuries sustained in the attack. A GoFundMe page was launched by Cowley's aunt, Lauryn, who said the teenager "was suddenly taken from us by a white pointer."
The fundraiser already exceeded its $65,122 in just one day.