WSL event put on hold after Australian photographer attacked by ‘shark or a sea lion’

WLLINGTON — The World Surf League event in New Zealand was abruptly halted on finals day after a photographer was bitten by a sea creature was attacked in the water by a sea creature that organizers believe was a shark or sea lion.Australian Ed Sloane was attacked just before 8.30am on Monday while documenting the men’s semi-finals at the New Zealand Pro, held near Raglan on the west coast of the North Island.The incident happened as Brazilian surfers Yago Dora and Italo Ferreira competed in the men’s semi-finals, which was halted 10 minutes in and Dora and Ferreira were extracted from the water on jet skis.A ‘code red’ was activated with the event put on hold while medical teams responded.Renato Hickel, World Surf League vice-president of tours and competition, said Sloane had “small puncture wounds” and was taken to hospital by ambulance.”We activate the code red when it’s a sea life attack on a surfer or a photographer. This time it was our beloved water photographer and thank God he’s in good spirits. He’s well considering what happened,” Hickel said on the WSL broadcast.He added: “At this stage we’re not certain if it was a shark or a sea lion. The doctor that was here helping on the scene was inclined to think it was a sea lion instead of a shark.”Nevertheless very scary. Italo and Yago were very shaken. They saw the splash and the incident, so another reason to put the event on hold.“It’s the first time we have activated code red,” Hickel said on the WSL broadcast.Sloane thanked the medical team and the WSL water patrol for their “immediate assistance” in a statement shared by the surf league.”I am doing okay, I’ve had bites to my left foot and am getting medical attention,” he said.”I love this place and can’t wait to watch an epic Finals Day,” he added. “Cheering for everyone for a great finish to the event.”The event got back underway after several hours with safety measures including additional jet skis and a drone spotter to monitor the water.Monday’s incident comes 11 years after Australian surf great Mick Fanning fought off a shark attack during competition at J-Bay in South Africa, an incident that was captured on live television.The New Zealand Pro is the largest surf event New Zealand has hosted and hundreds of spectators lined Manu Bay to watch the competition. Attacks on surfers and swimmers in the region are extremely rare.