A World Surfing League event was temporarily suspended on Monday after a photographer in the water suffered an animal bite to his foot.
The photographer, identified as Australian Ed Sloane, suffered what WSL described in a statement as “a wildlife injury” Monday morning while photographing a surfing heat from the waters near Raglan in northwestern New Zealand.
WSL Commissioner Renato Hickel said in an Instagram story that Sloane was transported to a hospital in stable condition. In an update, Hickel said Sloane was in “great spirits” and that following consultations with the competing surfers and other stakeholders, it was decided that the competition would restart at 1:05 p.m. NZST.
In the event broadcast, streamed live on YouTube, Hickel said WSL activated what he called a code red, halting the heat and clearing the water.
“He’s well considering what happened,” he said, describing the injury as “minor, small puncture wounds.”
He added that officials were unsure if the animal responsible was a shark or sea lion, though they were inclined to think it was a sea lion.
“Nevertheless, very scary,” he said.
Sloane said in a written statement read during WSL’s broadcast and later published to WSL’s Instagram story, that he was bitten on the foot and was receiving medical attention.
“Massive thank you to our water patrol for the quick response, our medical team and all the support from our teams for the immediate assistance I received,” he said.
“I love this place and can’t wait to watch an epic Finals Day.”
Sloane was shooting the final day of the New Zealand Pro.
Hickel said heightened wildlife surveillance, including jet skis, drones and spotters, would be put in place when the competition resumed.
