Crew helped shark attack victim

The skipper on the boat radioed for help immediately.

Chrissy Harris

A MAN on the boat alleged to have left a shark attack victim without assistance said they did everything they could to help the 19-year-old.

In a statement made to the Gladstone water police, the man said “they were sick to the stomachs with concern for the young man’s safety” and “believe they had done everything they could possibly do under the circumstances”.

He told police that one of the family members aboard the 30ft vessel caught sight of the smaller fishing vessel whose occupants were frantically screaming that there had been a shark attack.

The trio of spearfishers asked the skipper on the boat for help, which the man said was immediately provided.

The skipper asked if they had radioed for help and was told that the small fishing vessel’s radio was not in working order.

The spearfishers yelled at the skipper to take the shark attack victim aboard but under the circumstances the skipper thought that it would not be in John Pengelly’s best interests to transfer the heavily bleeding man from one vessel to another as it would cause him unnecessary trauma and potentially make his injuries worse.

The skipper notified the authorities and advised the men to head to Heron Island.

The skipper immediately radioed VMR Gladstone advising them that there had been a shark attack and an emergency helicopter and paramedics were needed on Heron Island.

The man said the skipper remained in contact with authorities until the shark attack victim reached Heron Island and word was received that a helicopter had arrived.

The man said his family, who were on the boat, were distraught to hear that Mr Pengelly had implied they did nothing to help.

He said they were “under a lot of stress and had replayed the situation over and over in their heads and still believe...they did everything they humanly could for a small family on a family fishing outfit”.

“I’m just absolutely distraught,” he told The Observer.

“My dad is a skipper and he is absolutely gut-wrenched that this could happen after everything we did to help.”