Coral Bay shark bite victim ‘in good spirits’ despite ordeal, recovering after leg surgery

This is the young spearfisherman who fought with a shark — and lived to tell the tale. Jackson “Jacko” Howson was about 500m to 1km offshore at Sandy Point near Coral Bay out fishing on Saturday when he was attacked by the ocean predator. The shark initially lunged at a fish which the young man had speared but quickly latched on to his left leg instead. The attack caused a 5-8cm gash — and a big bite mark on his calf. Instinctively, Mr Howson, who is in his 20s, punched the shark then swam 100m to his boat where his frantic girlfriend was waiting. Tonight, he is recovering at Royal Perth Hospital after surgery. But before the operation, Mr Howson posted photos on social media about his ordeal, including one which shows him making a fin gesture as he is being placed inside the ambulance. “Had better weekends. Flatter than the earth. Shark bite oo ha ha,” he wrote. He also posted another picture of him lying in his hospital bed with two thumbs up and thanking those who have reached out in support. “Thanks for all the support everyone,” he wrote. “Bit too drugged up to reply, surgery in a few hours, maybe the plastics can fix this lid too. In good spirits.” Mr Howson was on a road trip to Broome with his girlfriend when the pair decided to stop at Coral Bay for a spot of spearfishing. The couple had only been out on the water for a short time when he was attacked. After Mr Howson made it to his boat, his girlfriend, who did not know how to operate the boat, drove it towards help. That help was in the form of another boatie, Nick Hardie, who was out at Five Fingers Reef just south of the popular tourist destination. “We saw this white boat come rushing up to us and we were a bit confused,” Mr Hardie said. “We saw that a guy was sitting in the floor of the boat and there was blood all over the boat. He was very pale but was fine and still conscious,” he added. Mr Hardie then escorted the couple’s boat to the jetty where paramedics were waiting. A tourniquet was put around Mr Howson’s thigh. A towel was wrapped around his calf to cover the bite. He was rushed to Coral Bay Nursing Post and then flown to Perth by the Royal Flying Doctor Service. While the species of the shark is not known, Fisheries believe a whaler or bull shark could be responsible for the attack. The attack comes a week after grandfather Gary May fought off a shark while paddleboarding at Yallingup. The last serious shark attack in Coral Bay was in 2012 when 26-year-old tour guide Dave Pickering had his arm mauled by a 3m tiger shark while leading a tour group at a popular snorkelling spot 15km north of town.