A diver bitten by a great white shark off Percé, Que., earlier this week remains in hospital in stable condition as a local diving company details the routine session in which the attack occurred.
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A great white shark bite off Percé, on the eastern tip of the Gaspé Peninsula, sent a diver to hospital this week, and a local dive organization says the victim is currently stable.
According to Jean-François Vézina, vice-chair of Plongée Percé’s board of directors, he spoke with the injured diver by phone on Saturday. Vézina said the diver was in stable condition and that the injuries involved multiple lacerations on the upper body, adding that the details of the injuries were limited.
Vézina said the diver was taken to hospital on Wednesday after the attack occurred in the Percé area. The diver was a divemaster in training, and the incident happened near the dive site off Percé.
Plongée Percé said the attack was the first of its kind in Percé, though the company noted sharks have been spotted in the area previously. Vézina described the situation as unusual for the community, pointing to the lack of prior encounters despite sightings.
The company released its latest account of the incident on social media on Friday. It described the event as occurring during a routine dive session at about 10 metres, involving a group of six divers operating in two teams.
In the first team, a divemaster guided two divers. The second team included the divemaster in training, an instructor, and a Level One diver, with both teams sharing the same water conditions for the session.
Plongée Percé said the attack took place at the end of a 33-minute dive, during a three-minute safety stop at five metres below the surface. During the safety stop, the instructor and his student were holding the safety stop line, while the divemaster in training was nearby.
The company’s account says the instructor heard a noise behind him and turned to see a great white shark “in contact” with the diver. It then swam away within seconds, and the shark was gone before the group could take additional action, according to the description provided by the company.
After the bite, the three divers in the affected team immediately left the water and boarded the Plongée Percé boat. Once aboard, the injured diver, who was conscious, removed his own equipment and received first aid, while the Coast Guard was contacted to coordinate a return to shore.
Plongée Percé said the other three divers in the session did not know about the attack while underwater. The company said the divemaster on that side guided the divers to the rocks of a nearby island where they stayed safe, and they were later retrieved without incident.
In the hours after the attack, the company announced that all diving activities would be suspended for the rest of the season as a precaution, with Vézina saying his thoughts were with the victim and colleague.
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