Kiwi Sam Judd was the first to be attacked by a shark in the Galapagos Island. Photo / Tim Davis
The mother of the New Zealand man attacked by a shark in the Galapagos Islands says she hopes her son will make a speedy recovery.
Sam Judd from Wellington was surfing on outlying San Cristobal Island on Friday when a shark bit his thigh.
Mr Judd managed to
punch the shark away, but was left bleeding and in shock. Two friends pulled him to shore.
The 24-year-old's mother, former Act Party president Catherine Judd, said he was on heavy antibiotics to prevent infection.
"It's massive bit marks on either side of his thigh," she told Radio New Zealand.
"They're quite nasty looking and quite open so the main thing is to prevent infection."
Mrs Judd said her son was in good spirits and hoped to come back to New Zealand in March.
Mr Judd, who received 23 stitches for the leg wound, said the attack would not keep him out of the surf.
The shark attack was the first ever recorded in the Galpagos Islands.
- NZPA
