LANDING ONE ON THE JAWS
Former boxer in hospital unconscious after coming to blows with great white
HE stepped into the ring against a former world boxing champion, but Craig Ison’s one round with a 3-metre great white shark is proving to be the biggest fight of his life.
The 51-year-old was unconscious last night in Lismore Base Hospital after the shark mauled his thigh and arm while he was surfing off the coast of Evans Head, northern NSW, about 6am yesterday.
Mr Ison, pictured, who fought world champion Jeff Fenech in the 1980s, punched the great white twice and family was last night told a “shark tooth was left in him”.
Seven big sharks were spotted in the Byron Bay-Ballina region at the time of the attack yesterday.
Mr Ison's brush with death follows the death of two men, Paul Wilcox and Tadashi Nakahara, in the past 10 months and the mauling of bodyboarder Matt Lee last month.
CRAIG Ison went toe-to-toe with world champion boxer Jeff Fenech in the late 1980s, but was in the greatest fight of his life last night in Lismore Base Hospital.
The 51-year-old was unconscious after a great white shark mauled his thigh and arm while he was surfing off the coast of Evans Head, northern NSW, about 6am yesterday.
The retired painter came to blows with the shark – reminiscent of champion surfer Mick Fanning’s gallant effort to fight off a white pointer in South Africa this month – before he was rescued by friend Geoff Hill and paddled to shore.
His partner of 10 years, Jennifer Brown, was distraught as it emerged Mr Ison may not regain consciousness for at least three days and could be transferred to Gold Coast University Hospital as early as this morning.
She said she “didn’t feel right” in the morning and knew something was wrong when the phone rang at 7am.
“I’m really worried,” Ms Brown said.
“They’re saying that something is wrong with his arteries ... and the doctor said there was a shark tooth left in him.
“He loves it (surfing), it’s what he lives for so I’m sure he’ll be back in the water.”
Mr Ison has lived at Evans Head for 10 years, but has spent his entire life around northern NSW and went to school in Lismore.
Friends said he surfed throughout his childhood and took it up again about five years ago.
In his youth, he was a super lightweight boxer and friends confirmed he fought and lost to Fenech in the late 1980s at Bronte RSL in Sydney.
Tom Augustine, a surf photographer who regularly hits the waves with Mr Ison, marvelled at his mate’s survival instincts.
“He punched a shark twice and it left him living,” he said.
“I just can’t believe it. It wasn’t meant to be, he’s the number one surfer on that break, he’s always out.
“We have a coffee with his mum every morning after a surf. It was horrible getting the call this morning.”
Seven large sharks were spotted stalking the shoreline in the hours after the incident.
Shark expert Dr Jonathan Werry said the predator was at least 3m long judging by the bite marks in the surfboard.
They’re saying that something is wrong with his arteries ...
and the doctor said there was a shark tooth left in him JENNIFER BROWN
“It’s certainly a decentsized animal,” he said.
“Once you get a white that size the larger the prey is for them the better.
“The description of the attack is typical of a shark entering shallow water at seal colonies. They will bite to injure their prey and inflict damage to a point where they can come in and feed once the seal is dead.”
Baitfish have been more abundant because of cooler waters, which is drawing in larger predators, experts say.
Swimmer Paul Wilcox and surfer Tadashi Nakahara were killed in separate shark attacks off the northern NSW Coast in the past year, while bodyboarder Matt Lee was severely mauled by a suspected 4m great white at Ballina’s Lighthouse Beach last month.
Evans Heads beaches were closed yesterday and crisis talks were being held in Ballina over the spate of incidents.