Kai McKenzie, 23, from Bonny Hills, was in the surf at North Shore Beach in Port Macquarie when he was attacked about 11am on Tuesday. He saw the shark approach and was able to fight it off but suffered a severed right leg.

Clinging to life, he was able to catch a wave back to the beach.

A retired police officer used his dog’s lead as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding before the victim could be airlifted to hospital.

Kai is currently in John Hunter Hospital where he has had surgery and is in a stable condition. As you can imagine, the upcoming medical expenses for his recovery and rehabilitation is something no one would ever be prepared for. The funds raised will go in assisting Kai in every aspect of his recovery.

Please dig deep for this family to assist with Kai’s recovery and rehabilitation. I am a neighbour of The McKenzie’s. They are a local family with hearts of gold that would never expect or ask anything of anybody, so let’s give back and show them that they have the communities support in this.

Kai, along with his parents Jane and Grant have expressed their appreciation for all of the donations and are extremely grateful for all the support that the community has given for Kai.

Kai has an absolute fighting spirit and has outlined that he intends on returning to the water in no time.