Archie Blake: Boy, 11, mauled by shark while snorkeling just meters away from shore during family trip
EXMOUTH, WESTERN AUSTRALIA: Archie Blake, 11, who was on a trip with his family, was brutally bitten by a shark while snorkeling just a few meters away from the shore near Exmouth in Western Australia. The attack reportedly took place after 3 pm on Saturday, April 29, 2023, when Blake and his mother Hazel were about 50 meters away from the beach. The beast mauled the boy and left him with “serious lacerations” on his left leg, The Sun reported.
The child was airlifted by the Royal Flying Doctors Service to Exmouth Hospital and was also pictured lying on a stretcher after the incident. He is currently undergoing recovery at Perth Children’s Hospital and is reportedly in stable condition, according to the publication. Blake reportedly left Hobart, Tasmania, with his parents and three siblings for a camping trip at the Kurrajong Campground at Cape Range National Park, The Sun noted. The family had been planning the tour for several years and expected to have the “trip of a lifetime,” the outlet reported.
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‘We just made sure he was conscious’
Marc De Sousa, one of the campers in the area who witnessed the shark attack, said that boy suffered a “decent size” bite above the knee. “I saw a fair bit of splashing, wasn't sure what had happened at the time, but as the mum and the two kids started swimming in, the mum waved out for help,” he told ABC News.
“We ran over and the elder of the boys, I think, got bitten on the leg by a decent shark, I'd say,” De Sousa added. “We just made sure he was conscious, made sure he was as good as he could be,” he continued. “My dad got there shortly after I did and he ran off to get the boy's dad who was a paramedic, I believe,” De Sousa noted. “We dragged the boy further up the beach, I think it was a rash shirt we used just to apply pressure to one of the bite marks,” he shared.
De Sousa also said that he ran to the Kurrajong Campground to call for an ambulance, which arrived after 40 minutes and attended to the boy. Paramedics from St John WA treated Blake on the beach before taking him to a nearby hospital in a serious but stable condition, the Daily Mail reported. He was then airlifted by The Royal Flying Doctors Service to Perth Children's Hospital for further treatment later that night, the publication reported.
GoFundMe campaign launched for Archie Blake and family
Ryan Posselt, a family friend of the Blakes, launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for accommodation and travel expenses of the family as well as for any rehab facilities the boy might need after recovery. He said that it was a much-anticipated trip for the Blake family but turned out to be tragic.
“Accomodating the family of 6 near Perth hospital won’t be cheap and then getting Archie, the family and all their gear (including car and trailer) home to Tasmania is going to be a costly exercise,” the GoFundMe page read. “This fund raiser aims to take the financial worry out of the minds of a family who serve the community in their capacity as a school teacher and paramedic every day,” it continued.
“Removing financial worry from their minds will allow them to focus entirely on caring for their children and simply organising the logistics,” it further stated. “The Blake family have been planning this trip for four years. Delayed and cancelled by COVID, this trip was meant to be a 'once in a lifetime' journey with primary school-aged kids to show them this great country,” the fundraiser added.
The 11-year-old is expected to have multiple surgeries over the next few days. The GoFundMe fundraiser raised over $16,000, as of Monday morning.
