Survivor Dave Pearson returns to the water after Swiss couple attacked

“That was okay with me, and that was a scary thing,” Pearson said.

“It was a very scary thing; I didn’t mind dying.”

Then he thought about his children, his partner, and said he had so much left to give him.

“I felt the sand under my feet and pushed back to the surface, pushing as hard as I could,” he said.

Refusing to die, he “reattached” his forearm, tried to stop the bleeding, and returned to the beach with the help of two surfers in the water.

Shortly after Thursday’s attack, drum lines and drones were deployed to locate the shark thought to have been involved in the attack. But authorities face an increasing challenge in locating the shark because the area lacks shark sensors that alert when a tagged animal swims within 500 metres.

Police are currently reviewing footage from the Swiss couple’s GoPro, which captured the interaction with the pod of dolphins, to confirm suspicions that a bull shark was involved in the attack, while preparing a report for the coroner. It is unclear whether the attack was recorded on camera. Schindler remained in a stable condition at Newcastle John Hunter Hospital on Friday.

Locals and campers said bull sharks were regularly sighted along the coastline between Kylies Beach and the mouth of the Manning River, about seven kilometers south of Crowdy Head. The river is a known breeding ground for the species.

Receivers are found at 37 beaches along the NSW coast from Bega to Tweed Heads, but there are very few on the Mid North Coast. The closest one to Kylies Beach is at Old Bar, about 30 kilometers south.

Pearson, who founded the Bite Club, a support group for survivors of shark and animal attacks, said that since there are no shark catchers in the area, educating swimmers and surfers on when it is safe to enter the water is key to reducing attacks.

Bite Club has grown to nearly 600 members worldwide over the past 12 years and includes survivors of lion, crocodile, bear and hippo attacks.

On Friday, Pearson was the only member of his usual crew on the beach. He didn’t just want to be among the waves; Getting back into the water was also something he had to do after Thursday’s attack.

In July, surfer Kai McKenzie lost his right leg after a great white shark attacked him at North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie. He survived after battling the shark and catching a wave towards shore. In the months since, McKenzie, now with a prosthetic leg, has returned to the water.

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The tattoo on Pearson’s left forearm covers the scars of his attack and serves as an equally permanent reminder of how far he’s come. The word “SURVIVOR” is etched into his skin, above an image of a bull shark and the date he fought and protected for his life.

“When you almost die, life has a different side after that and you have to try to look at it a little differently,” Pearson said.

“It’s not always easy, but life is great. I try to be great every day because it’s worth it.”

At Kylies Beach, 4WD tracks winding along the sand were the only visible sign of Thursday’s tragedy.

There were no flowers left for the memorial, no grieving family or friends, no sign of the pain felt along the coast and across the ocean.

The only sound heard beyond the crashing police tape and emergency services hounding Thursday morning was the crash of waves crashing along the beach like gunshots.

There were no screams, no calls for help, no sounds of helicopters. Only the rising tide was washing away the traces of a day that took one life and changed another forever.

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