Shark attack victims living in the UK have found comfort from other survivors in an online support network known as “Bite Club”.
The group was created to help members deal with the aftermath of an attack so that they can return to a “new normal life”.
Andrew Phipps Newman, a British businessman, said he felt an affinity with other survivors because they shared an understanding of his trauma. Through their encouragement, he was recently able to paddle in the water — something he had avoided for seven years after he was bitten by a four-metre shark.
Andrew Phipps Newman after being attacked by the shark
Dave Pearson
WENDELL TEODORO/GETTY IMAGES
Dave Pearson, 62, set up Bite Club in 2012, a year after he was attacked by a three-metre bull shark in the Mid North Coast region of New South Wales, Australia. While he recovered from his severe injuries, he noticed that there was no support network for survivors, so he decided to create one.
Bite Club has since amassed more than 500 members from around the globe. The private Facebook group acts as a place for survivors to find medical advice and emotional support.
Phipps Newman was attacked while snorkelling in the Galápagos Islands in 2018. The businessman, who is in his fifties, suffered a broken bone and three severed ligaments when the animal sunk its teeth into his right foot.
Speaking of the group, he told The New York Times: “You just have an affinity. There’s warmth, there’s an understanding.”
• Swimmer braves shark-infested waters to mark 50 years of Jaws
Phipps Newman recently visited Sydney on a work trip where he was able to meet fellow Bite Club members. He told the newspaper he had stayed away from the ocean since the attack, but was able to paddle briefly in the water thanks to the encouragement of Pearson.
Pearson surfing off the coast of Crowdy Bay National Park, northeast of Sydney
WENDELL TEODORO/GETTY IMAGES
Before the trip to Australia, Phipps Newman had only met one survivor in person, who also lives in Britain.
• I thought I was going to die, says British woman attacked by shark
Originally named Australian Shark Attack Survivors, Bite Club has members living across the world including in South Africa, Réunion Island and Brazil.
The group’s members said they had found “we can help each other through the hard times” because of their experiences. On Facebook they said: “The core purpose of Bite Club is to assist those affected by shark attacks in returning to a ‘new normal’ life, and to support and assist them throughout the journey.
“We are from all walks of life and from all different locations from around Aus and the globe, and we all have differing views, opinions and questions that are important to each of us.”
Bite Club is a registered non-profit organisation. The group’s members include survivors, their friends, relatives and rescuers.