A surfer who lost his leg in a shark attack on an isolated beach says he will be “back in the water soon”.
Kai McKenzie, 23, had his right leg severed by a 10-foot shark while surfing at Port Macquarie's North Shore beach on Tuesday morning.
The young surfer managed to “shoo” the shark away before catching the wave back to shore, while a retired police officer used a dog leash as a makeshift tourniquet to stop the bleeding.
The Bonnie Hills surfer, who underwent major surgery at John Hunter Hospital, took to Instagram on Saturday morning to thank everyone for their support following the “crazy shark attack”, which he described as “incredibly scary”.
“Oh my gosh, just being here right now, being able to hug my beautiful Eve and my family, that's everything to me,” he said.
“To all the fucking kind people, all the legends, to everyone and everyone, all your support has meant the absolute world to me. It's just so wonderful to see so many beautiful people supporting me.”
The pro surfer vowed to get back on the water just days after the attack.
“If you knew my personality, you could tell me right now. Go fuck yourself. I'll be back in the water in no time,” he revealed.
“I give that shark a big slap, and a big thank you to Steve for saving my life.”
Mr MacKenzie said the shark was the biggest he had “ever seen”.
Witnesses said they saw Mr MacKenzie desperately trying to paddle towards shore before the shark struck his board and dragged him underwater.
Shortly after the shark attack, Mr MacKenzie's leg was washed up on the shore and he was quickly rushed to hospital by police lights and sirens.
A GoFundMe page has raised more than $155,000 to help cover MacKenzie's future medical and rehabilitation costs.
