The severed leg was also taken to the hospital in case doctors were able to reattach it, 7News reported.
McKenzie was just returning to the waves after breaking his back last year, surfwear brand Rage, which sponsors him, said on Instagram.
“Sending love to … the toughest person that we know,” the company said. “He has been through a lot breaking his back last year, he never once complained always just got on with doing what he loved as soon as possible. He is an inspiring person.”
A long stretch of the beaches in Port Macquarie was closed for 24 hours after the shark attack, according to the town’s lifeguards, before they reopened on Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities are trying to track and identify the shark, NSW Police Chief Inspector Stuart Campbell said, according to 7News, using drones and SMART drumlines – a type of trap that can move sharks without killing them.
There are several shark monitoring devices on the coastline at Port Macquarie. These detected two white sharks in the area on Tuesday morning before the attack.
