A 25-year-old man bitten by a shark while spearfishing off Groote Eylandt has been flown to hospital in a stable condition.
Friends of the man provided first aid on their boat before calling for emergency help and rushing back to land at Umbukumba.
CareFlight, operating the Top End Medical Retrieval Service on behalf of the Northern Territory Government, tasked a fixed wing King Air to fly to Groote Eylandt shortly after 12.20pm.
Meanwhile, health clinic nurses went to meet the man as he arrived at the boat ramp in Umbakumba. They provided initial treatment before transporting him to the airstrip to meet CareFlight’s emergency doctor and flight nurse.
CareFlight’s medical team provided additional treatment for lacerations to the arm on the island before taking off.
The man was taken to Royal Darwin Hospital in a stable condition for additional treatment.
