Moments before a great white shark attacked a surfer off the Australian coast, a chilling photograph captured the massive predator “lurking” behind him in the waters, ready to unleash a vicious attack.
On Aug. 25, 2023, Toby Begg, 44 at the time, was surfing near Lighthouse Beach in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, when a great white shark measuring up to 14 feet attacked him about 150 metres from the shore.
Witnesses reported that the father of two fought back against the shark, repeatedly striking the beast in an effort to break free.
“He was on the surface punching it in the head for ages,” a source close to Begg told BeachGrit. “Both his hands were balloons from hitting it. After 30 seconds it let go and he started paddling in.”
Shark took Begg’s foot
Meanwhile, off-duty emergency doctor Kurt Durbridge had arrived at the beach around 9:50 a.m. for a morning surf when he heard another surfer shouting, “Shark attack, there’s been a shark attack!”
“I ask if anyone is hurt to which the surfer replies “Yep, he’s pretty f***ed,” Durbridge recalled in a Facebook post, explaining that he dropped his surfboard and sprinted roughly 150 metres toward the water.
“As I reach the knee-high water, I can see a man who is as white as a ghost with horrific injures and a massive bloody laceration to his left thigh and a traumatic amputation of his right foot,” the doctor wrote about Begg, a builder and former firefighter.
‘He might actually live’
Confronted with the severity of Begg’s injuries, Durbridge struggled to determine if the surfer was “alive or dead.”
“As look down at him, I can see he’s breathing, he’s moving his arms…his eyes then open – he’s alive!” he recalled, before describing the moments that followed as he worked to save Begg’s life. “This joy soon turns to anxiety and dread – I know what we need to save this man’s life.”
“I tried to reassure him that everything was going to be okay, and found out his name, and just kind of tried my best to reassure him,” Durbridge told 7News. “If he can make it to hospital alive, he might actually live.”
‘Bleeding everywhere’
Others on the beach were also trying to help, including those who attempted to stabilize Begg’s injured leg using whatever they had available.
A teenage witness described the scene to NBN News, recalling that Begg’s foot had been “ripped off” and that he was “bleeding everywhere.”
“They were trying to talk to him, he was silent, he was frozen,” the teen said, explaining how people tried to help before emergency responders arrived.
“They tried to tie his leg with the leg rope from the surfboard and some sticks to keep it straight,” the witness told the outlet.
Those efforts were critical as Begg awaited emergency medical treatment, but the damage was extensive. He lost his right leg as a result of the attack and suffered severe injuries to his left leg, requiring emergency surgery and a lengthy recovery.
As Begg faced the aftermath of the attack, attention turned to a photograph captured just moments before the shark struck, revealing an unsettling detail that no one had noticed at the time.
Photo captured shark ‘lurking around’
The image was taken by a photography enthusiast who had been photographing dolphins near the surfers.
“As a photographer you never know what’s lurking around. I’m also a diver who loves all marine life,” the photographer shared on Facebook alongside several pictures of Begg and his pals floating with their boards.
Pointing to a disturbance in the water “behind the surfer with the green band” – where the tip of a dorsal fin can be seen popping out of the water – the photographer continued, “I was taking photos of the dolphins with the surfers yesterday seconds before the horrific attack from the Great White…My thoughts are with Toby Begg and his family.”
‘Mad keen surfer’ back in the water
Following the attack, Begg underwent emergency surgery at Port Macquarie Base Hospital before being transferred to John Hunter Hospital in Newcastle for further treatment.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Begg – described by BeachGrit as a “mad keen surfer” – was back in the water just one month later and has since taken up adaptive wakesurfing, finding a way to continue enjoying the sport after losing his leg.
In a Facebook post shared in October 2023, he expressed his gratitude to those who helped save his life.
“Where do you even begin to say thank you to so many people who have saved your life?”
The experience also changed his perspective on what mattered most.
“The entire shark attack incident brought home to me and everyone around me that your life, your family and your friends are the only things that matters.”
How do stories like this affect the way you feel about entering the ocean? Please let us know your thoughts and then pass this story along so we can hear from others!
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