A photographer was bitten by what may have been a “shark or a sea lion” during the finals of a surf competition in New Zealand, forcing the event to be paused for several hours.

The World Surf League (WSL) competition was abruptly halted on Sunday after Australian photographer Ed Sloane, who was covering the event, was bitten by an unidentified sea creature while filming the men’s semi-finals in New Zealand.

Sloane, a longtime WSL photographer, suffered puncture wounds to his ankle and was taken to hospital by ambulance following the incident. One of his flippers was also ripped off during the attack. The WSL says Sloane is in a stable condition and in good spirits.

According to a report by Surfer, the incident triggered a code red — the emergency protocol, typically reserved for shark sightings. Surfers from Brazil who were already in the water were removed on jet skis as a safety precaution.

‘Nightmare Fuel’

Renato Hickel, WSL vice-president of tours and competition, addressed the incident during the live broadcast, confirming the code red activation and describing the unusual circumstances. He noted that it was “the first time” that the WSL has “activated the code red when it’s sea life attacking a surfing photographer.”

“We activate the code red when it’s a sea life attack on a surfer or a photographer,” Hickel says on the broadcast. “This time it was our beloved water photographer, and thank God he’s in good spirits. He’s well considering what happened.”

“At this stage, we’re not certain if it was a shark or a sea lion. The doctor that was here helping on the scene was inclined to think it was a sea lion instead of a shark. Nevertheless very scary.”

In an Instagram post, Sloane shared the last few shots he took before the incident and described the attack by the unidentified sea creature as “nightmare fuel.” The photographer thanked medical staff for their swift response and those present for providing an “immediate shoulder to cry on”, after the creatures tried to see “how I went for breakfast.”

According to Australian news outlet news.com.au, while encounters with marine life are rare in New Zealand, sea lions have been known to behave aggressively towards surfers if they feel their territory is being threatened.

Image credits: Header photo licensed via Depositphotos.

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