This hero of a surfer caught and rode a good wave after being bitten by a shark!
American man Ryan Boarman is now recovering at a hospital in Singapore after multiple surgeries on his arm following a nasty shark bite in West Bali.
Boarman had been surfing in the morning, catching some nice waves in Balian, Tabanan on April 25, when he suddenly felt excruciating pain on his arm near his elbow, then saw a shark, about two-meters long swimming away.
But the shark did not take the 26-year-old down! Being the badass surfer that he is, Boarman jumped on his board and rode a wave back in to the safety of the beach. And it was a apparently a really good wave.
“All he said was that he was on his way in, he knew he would be able to get in more quickly if he took the wave, and he told me afterwards that it was a really good wave,” the surfer’s father, William Boarman said this afternoon to Coconuts Singapore at Raffles Hospital.
When asked about his son’s current condition, William Boarman said he’s improving and will probably be discharged on Friday or Saturday, depending on his ability handle the pain during the 24-hour travel time it will take to get back home to San Diego.
“Ryan’s doing a lot better than he was a few days ago. He’s still experiencing quite a bit of pain. And he is tired, probably from the combination of the surgery and drugs, but his spirits are much better. He’s definitely on his way to recovery.”
After receiving some initial treatment in Bali (namely, getting stitched up to prevent severe blood loss), the surfer was transferred to Singapore for a couple of surgeries, the most recent of which is expected to get him to recover 99 percent of his previous functionality.
Medical care costs have been insane, which is what prompted Boarman’s friends and family to set up GoFundMe page for him. While the surfer does have insurance, it will be a lengthy, complicated matter of going through which costs insurance will later specifically cover versus what they won’t.
“We’ll make it through. He’s far more important to my wife and I than any money that we may have to try to come up with, even if we had to mortgage our house,” William Boarman said.
But with $25,000 raised so far on the GoFundMe page, the family has even prepared for the event that they may have excess funds and has pledged to give any leftovers to local charities, as Boarman, a Field Biologist, is super passionate about the ocean.
Thank heavens for Boarman, he won’t have to stay away from the ocean that long—he should be able to surf again, probably in about six months.
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