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12/24/2005 Brian Anderson (Oregon)

Shark Attack Survivors News Archive for Shark Attacks in 2005
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12/24/2005 Brian Anderson (Oregon)

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(AP) Shark Bites Surfer Off Oregon Coast

Dec 24 2005

SEASIDE, Ore.

A man attacked by a shark while surfing off the northern Oregon coast Saturday suffered lacerations on his ankle and calf, authorities said.

The 30-year-old surfer, Brian Anderson, was "conscious, alert and smiling" on the way to Providence Seaside Hospital, said Seaside Fire Department Chief Joe Dotson.

"There was quite a bit of blood, but he was not entered into the trauma center, so I assume he will be fine," Dotson said.

Nursing supervisor Greg Bench said the surfer would be treated and released later in the night.

Witnesses told Dotson the 10-foot great white shark attacked around noon at the popular surfing spot near Tillamook Head.

"I think everybody got out of the water," Dotson said. "He didn't get seconds."

Dotson said it was the first shark attack off Seaside in his 26 years with the department.

http://www.townhall.com/news/ap/online/ ... VE980.html



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December 27. 2005 2:26PM


Surfer who slugged shark recovering


BY RUKMINI CALLIMACHI


ASSOCIATED PRESS



PORTLAND, Ore. -- A surfer who fended off a great white shark by punching it in the nose said he learned the tactic by watching television shows such as the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week."

Brian Anderson, 36, remained hospitalized Monday but was expected to make a full recovery from lacerations on his ankle and calf.

"It's like your worst nightmare," Anderson said by phone from his Portland hospital bed, though he also called the attack "an adventure which has made life that much more precious and interesting."

Anderson was at a popular surfing spot near Tillamook Head, south of the community of Seaside, on Saturday when something grabbed his leg. Realizing it was a shark, he slugged the predator repeatedly in the nose to get it to loosen its grip.

He said he learned from television shows, including the Discovery Channel's "Shark Week," that a shark's nose is its most sensitive area.

When the shark finally let go, Anderson swam back to shore, dragging his badly wounded leg behind him. Other surfers called 911 after he pulled himself onto the rocks near his home in Seaside, about 80 miles northwest of Portland.

"It felt like getting clamped in a bear trap," he said. "It was a piercing pain and then it went numb."

Anderson was hospitalized Saturday, then released Christmas Day in time to open presents with his wife and 10-year-old son. When he returned for a checkup that evening, doctors in Seaside became troubled by the depth of the wound and the possibility of bone damage, as well as infection, and instructed him to check himself into a hospital in Portland.

Anderson's wife, who is also a surfer, believes her husband will soon be back in the water, but she is less thrilled at the thought of their son taking to the waves.

"We all went through some real trauma," said Lynnet Anderson, 42. "Brian, he's always going to be the one far out there waiting for that perfect set to come in. But I'm not sure I'll ever let my 10-year-old back in the water."

http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs. ... NG&start=1



Local shark-bite victim rides again despite terrifying experience


by Katherine Head
(Created: Thursday, January 11, 2007 9:40 AM PST)


It has been just over a year since local surfer Brian Anderson was attacked by a great white shark. The lacerations on his foot and leg have mended, but the experience is still vivid in his mind.

When Anderson describes being bitten by a shark, it is with complete clarity—as if it just happened yesterday. Anderson, then age 36, headed out to the Cove on Christmas Eve day. It was about 1 p.m. After some good runs, he decided to paddle out to catch one more wave. He headed out and was floating on his board when the shark struck.

"It was a sharp pain—like someone took a knife and stabbed you—then you just don't feel anything," Anderson said.


The bite cracked several bones in his right foot, mangled nerves, and left him needing 70 stitches in his foot, shin and calf. Even so, Anderson said he feels fortunate. The shark's teeth did not sever any tendons.

"I'm so thankful I didn't lose a foot," he said. "God was definitely looking after me that day."

After being bitten, Anderson clung to his surfboard with one hand while punching the shark in the nose with the other. Anderson partly credits watching "Shark Week" on the Discovery Channel for his appropriate reaction. The shark released him, and a wave pushed Anderson toward the shore. Three other surfers carried him off the beach, and an ambulance whisked him to the hospital.

Anderson was on crutches for three months, difficult for someone who has been surfing since age 15. But that is not to say that he wasn't busy.

As word spread about the shark attack, Anderson's story received national attention.

"It was like a job—I was doing all these interviews," he said. "I was so glad when it was over."

Anderson was even a guest on the Ellen DeGeneres show last February, where the host gave the Anderson family a trip to Telluride, Colo.

"I was like, 'This can't be real,'" Anderson said.

Now that the limelight has subsided, Anderson has returned to the sport he loves so much. Not only has he gotten back on his surfboard, but now he makes them. Before the accident, Anderson had taken steps to start his own surfboard design business. With a shop in Gearhart, Anderson crafts a full line of boards.

"I started that [the business] right after I could walk again," Anderson said. "It's been going really good. I'm always busy."

For more information on Anderson Shapes boards, visit http://www.andersonshapes.com.

http://www.seasidesignal.com/articles/2 ... 080392.txt
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