The husband of Beachport shark attack victim Pam Cook has heaped praise on the seaside community for their support as she remains in hospital in a stable condition after 5.5 hours of surgery on her wounds.
Her initial treatment on the Beachport jetty after the dawn attack on Monday was provided by her fellow Sea Urchins Club swimmers, jetty maintenance personnel, First Responders and SA Ambulance Service paramedics.
Speaking with The SE Voice, Greg Cook described the response from Beachport as “tremendous” and “unbelievable”.
Mr Cook said the attack on his wife had occurred about 120 metres from shore and near the pontoon.
He said he was in the company of their grandchildren and making his way to a café for a coffee when he got a phone call.
“I was told to get down to the jetty,” Mr Cook said.
“I do not want to name names but I am so grateful to the two swimmers who stayed with Pam and helped her out of the water.
“Pam climbed the ladder herself to get on to the jetty and the swimmers then applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding. By the time I got there, the jetty maintenance workers were also there and helping out by putting jackets on Pam.
“I escorted some of the swimmers off the jetty and let the others do their job. If it had been a training drill, you would have said they did it perfectly.”
Ms Cook was then taken by ambulance under police escort to the Mount Gambier Hospital in a serious condition and immediately underwent surgery on her leg, foot and hands.
Her husband has discounted rumours that Ms Cook required 300 stitches.
“The surgeons just kept on stitching,” Mr Cook said.
“It (the shark attack) was just one of those things and it has shaken up Beachport. One professional fisherman that I spoke to said he had only ever seen one shark.
“Pam will definitely go back into the water as she adores the sea. I think the Sea Urchins will not be deterred but some will return sooner than others.”
Mr Cook had not lost his sense of humour when he spoke to The SE Voice as he referred to himself as the “Beachport Mayor”.
The self-proclaimed title is a reference to his long-time role with Wattle Range Council in its parks and gardens department at Beachport.
Ms Cook is a member of the Sea Urchins and Slugs which is an informal swimming group of 12 local women which meets at 7.30am each day at the foreshore war memorial rotunda.
She is a popular identity in the Beachport community and is a former secretary of the Hatherleigh Football Club, as well as being a fundraiser for the Leukaemia Foundation a few years ago as one of the Beachport Hotel entrants in the annual bar tender of the year competition.
The Cooks have lived in Beachport for 36 years and this is where their sons Rhett and Haydn spent their formative years.
The beach at Beachport was closed to the public on Monday as authorities made a search for what was thought to be a juvenile white pointer shark.
