A growing number of Shark Bite Kits are popping up on remote beaches along Australia’s east coast following a spate of fatal shark attacks.
Danny Schouten is in the process of installing his community-funded kits on remote beaches after his friend Kai Mckenzie, 23, lost his right leg while surfing on the NSW’s Mid North Coast in July last year.
Mr McKenzie bravely fought off the shark before catching a wave in to shore where a makeshift tourniquet made from a dog lead was tied around his leg.
The very close call inspired Mr Schouten, who previously worked as a lifeguard in Port Macquarie, to create the life-saving Shark Bite Kits.
‘We’ve lost some people close to home over the years from sharks and I think it’s one of those things we need to be more prepared for,’ he told the ABC.
‘I don’t understand why they aren’t in place already, so I am really keen to give back and make sure everyone has that opportunity to have something there close by.’
Each Shark Bite Kit costs just $60 to make and contain two tourniquets, two dressings, a compression bandage, thermal blanket, amputated parts bags, a whistle, and instructions on how to respond.
A GoFundMe has been created to fund the production of the kits.
Following a horrific shark attack on mate Kai Mckenzie (right) mate, Danny Schouten (left) has rolled out community-funded Shark Bite Kits on remote beaches
Each kit (pictured) costs $60 to make and contains two tourniquets, two dressings, a compression bandage, thermal blanket, amputated parts bags, a whistle, and instructions
The remote North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie where a surfer lost his leg in 2023 was the first beach to install a Shark Bite Kit (pictured) the following year
‘These kits are designed to provide a quick response to help control bleeding in the crucial minutes following a shark attack and potentially saving lives before professional medical help arrives,’ Mr Schouten wrote on the fundraiser.
‘The initial aim was to generate enough funding to provide kits to the popular yet isolated beaches in the Port Macquarie-Hastings area.
‘However the ultimate goal would be to have a kit at every one of our beaches. Better yet, every beach in Australia.’
The remote North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie where Mr McKenzie lost his leg in 2023 was the first beach to install a Shark Bite Kit the following year.
The installation of the life-saving kits comes as the experienced surfer fatally attacked by a shark at Granites Beach on South Australia’s Eyre Peninsula is identified as 28-year-old Lance Appleby.
The body of the Port Lincoln man, who was visiting his family for Christmas, is yet to be found as an extensive air, land and sea search enters its third day.
The attack comes after local fisherman Ben Schultz said he spotted an ‘aggressive’ Great White shark in the area on the same day Mr Appleby went missing.
A South Australia Police spokesperson confirmed on Friday a surf board had been found by someone on a jet ski shortly after the attack.
