Filmmaker and photographer Ryan Chatfield grew up in the waters of Mandurah, surfing before and after school, and diving on the weekends for crayfish, giving him a passion for both marine life and the risks to safety that come with aquatic activities.
The latest film venture by Mr Chatfield’s film production team, Terra Australis, was compelled by such a local tragedy.
“Close friends of mine were involved in the rescue of Ben Gerring, down in Gearies… a few of these guys that I went to school with and grew up with and are super nice guys, had to deal with that situation, and I can’t even imagine how horrific and traumatic and stressful that would be,” Mr Chatfield said.
“Those guys have got to live with that for the rest of their life, and maybe if there was some training around, or maybe if there was information available on the internet, like what we’ve created, the it could’ve changed the situation. Maybe it wouldn’t, maybe it would.
“But I think the most important thing is that knowledge is power, and I think the more resources that you can see and learn, the better equipped we’ll be.”
Terra Australis teamed up with paramedic Stewart Masson from Safety Direct Solutions to create an instructional first-aid video specific to a shark attack situation, which Mr Chatfield believes may be a world-first.
“We wanted to find out if there was anything anybody that’s faced with a shark attack situation, whether it’s a surfer or a diver or a snorkeller, if they have to rescue someone, what can they do to best ensure that person has the best chance of survival,” Mr Chatfield said.
Mr Chatfield and his team used drone, in-water and surface camera gear to provide clear instructions on how to manage a shark bite on a person.
He said the most interesting tip to come from creating the video was how crucial it is to stem blood loss in the water.
“A lot of cases where people who’ve had shark attacks have died on the beach, from what the paramedics told us, was because they didn’t have any prevention of blood loss in the transit from out the back of the surf break to the beach,” Mr Chatfield said.
“That’s where they lose most of their blood and effectively lose their life.”
Mr Masson advised that making a tourniquet made from a leg rope, dive belt or any other available strap to stem blood loss was crucial to helping chances of survival.
So far the video has been a success, with over 98,000 views on November 3.
Mr Chatfield said he hopes surf life saving clubs and other marine activity groups can use it as a resource for training.
Their next big project is a TV series on the Western Australian coastline in conjunction with documentary specialists Showrunner Productions, called Killer Coast, so keep your eyes out: we’re sure to see more good work from Terra Australis in future.