Mr Gerring, 29, remained in a critical condition in Royal Perth Hospital on Thursday night after his leg was bitten off by a shark while surfing near Mandurah, south of Perth.
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The ABC reports Ben Gerring has lived and surfed at the Mundurah beach for many years and is a fly-in fly-out heavy machinery operator.
As part of Western Australia’s Department of Fisheries” controversial “serious threat policy’, baited drum lines were set early yesterday morning at the site of the attack.
A nearby surfer witnessed Mr Gerring being attacked and yelled “shark”, which prompted a group of about 20 surfers who were in the water to rush to assist.
Before 8 a.m., a great white shark was seen about 1 mile offshore but the species of the shark that attacked the man was not known.
Its Smart Shark website and the WA Twitter account of Surf Life Saving had warned that a 3.5m-long shark was spotted about three kilometres south of where Gerring was attacked.
Mr Gerring, whose fiancée was working in the state’s north, reportedly lost his right leg above the knee and lost consciousness as he was taken ashore.
“Next thing all hell broke loose and they were trying to bring him in”, Williams told Australian Broadcasting Corp.
Williams praised the surfers who dragged Gerring back to safety for their “heroic” act.
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A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said two paramedic crews and a rescue helicopter were sent to Falcon Beach after the incident was reported at 4pm (WST).
