Gordon Friedman

Statesman Journal

A Portland man is being treated for injuries from a shark attack, according to the Oregon State Police, after fellow surfers tied a tourniquet on his leg and carried him to the parking lot on his board.

Joseph Tanner, 29, was bitten in the upper thigh and lower leg while surfing Monday at Indian Beach, according to authorities. The beach is at Ecola State Park, a 9-mile stretch of coastline north of Cannon Beach in Clatsop County.

Tanner, who suffered serious injuries, was treated by medics at the beach and taken by medical helicopter to Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, state police said.

On Tuesday, state police offered this additional information about the incident: During the shark attack at Indian Beach, there were two additional surfers who were in the water with Tanner. The two surfers are identified as West Woodworth, 29, from Portland and the other wishes not to be identified.

They told police that Tanner had been in the water for 10 to 15 minutes before the shark attack occurred. Woodworth was paddling towards Tanner and the other surfer. Woodworth told police that he saw Tanner start to flail around and then get back on his board. He then heard Tanner scream to get out of the water.

Woodworth told police that all three started paddling back towards the shoreline, which was 30 to 40 yards away from them. Tanner was able to get almost to the shoreline when Woodworth pulled him out of the water. Tanner started directing Woodworth and other people on the beach on how to tie a tourniquet around his leg. They eventually used the leash of Tanner's surfboard as the tourniquet. Tanner was then placed on his board and with the help of approximately 6 people they carried Tanner to the parking lot where they waited for an ambulance. The ambulance arrived approximately fifteen minutes after they arrived in the parking lot.



The other surfer, age 42 from Portland, said he was approximately 10 feet from Tanner when he noticed Tanner slip off his board. The movement was unusual so he asked Tanner if he was OK. The man then saw what appeared to him as a large dorsal fin and the back of the shark. The man told police the shark was grey, and the back (the part that he could see) was approximately eight feet long. Tanner then yelled at the man to get out of the water and they all started paddling towards the shore. It wasn't until they were at the shore that the man realized that Tanner had been bitten.

With its 363 miles of coastline, shark attacks are rare though not unheard of in Oregon. Other states like Florida, Hawaii and California record many more incidents than Oregon.

The last time a shark attack occurred at Indian Beach was in 1988, according to data from the Shark Research Institute. In that incident, a 21-year-old man was surfing and survived bites to the leg.

Data shows that there have been 28 shark attacks in Oregon since 1974 — all but one occurring when someone was surfing. Only one attack was fatal.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department said Tuesday that Ecola State Park will remain open and state park staff will post shark advisory signs at Indian Beach.

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