--- title: "Leg Washes Ashore After Shark Attack, Surgeons Hope to Reattach" description: "Surfing star Kai McKenzie lost his leg after encountering a ten-foot great white shark. The limb later washed ashore and has been put on ice." date: "2024-07-24" modified: "2024-07-24" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/leg-washes-ashore-shark-attack" categories: - "Developments" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "australia" - "beach" - "sharks" - "surfing" --- # Leg Washes Ashore After Shark Attack, Surgeons Hope to Reattach ![Surfing star Kai McKenzie lost his leg after encountering a ten-foot great white shark. The limb later washed ashore and has been put on ice.]() *\Image: NSW Police Force\* Surfing star Kai McKenzie lost his leg after encountering a ten-foot great white shark off the coast near Port Macquarie, Australia earlier this week. After a wave carried him back to shore, an off-duty police officer used a dog leash as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding and save his life. And miraculously, KcKenzie's lost leg also washed up on the beach shortly after, where it was promptly put on ice and transported to the hospital, giving him a slim chance of being reunited with his missing limb — though it remains unclear if that's still on the table, [according to the *Washington Post*](). It's not even the first serious injury McKenzie has sustained. "He has been through a lot breaking his \[neck\] last year, he never once complained always just got on with doing what he loved as soon as possible," McKenzie's sponsor and surfwear company Rage wrote in an [Instagram post](). "He is an inspiring person." Authorities are now [looking to trap the shark]() and transport it away from the beach, which was shut down following the incident. According [to Australian news station *9news*](), equipment detected 15 white sharks off Port Macquarie in the past week alone. McKenzie's surfboard, which had a massive chunk missing out of its tail end following the attack, was also collected by local police. The surfer is in stable condition, and whether he'll have a chance of being reunited with his lost reg is still unknown. The odds of being attacked by a shark are one in 11.5 million, the [Florida Museum estimates](). Last year, there were only [69 unprovoked shark attacks]() on humans worldwide, just ten of which were fatal. Experts suggest most unprovoked bites are caused by sharks confusing humans with seals or sea lions. While incredibly unlucky, McKenzie's encounter could've been much worse. In one particularly gruesome incident last year, a [Mexican diver was decapitated]() by a great white shark, shocking even experts. **More on shark bites:** *[Cruise Ship Alarmed to Discover a 50,000-Pound Dead Whale Stuck to the Front of It, Seemingly After Getting Run Down and Dying]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()