A surfer has spoken of the moment he broke his leg in a 'horrific' accident in the water - after being 'attacked' by a seal. Nathan Phillips, 42, felt his own foot hit the back of his leg as it was snapped clean in two while surfing in Porthleven, Cornwall, on Friday.
The self-employed builder, who has been labelled a 'local surfing legend,' said the incident occurred as he was being harassed by a seal while paddling out into the waves. The creature was pulling his board's leash as some 'epic' waves crashed down on him, sending his board flying into his leg.
After being rescued by a friend and paddling half a mile back to land to be treated by medics, the 6ft 2in surfer was then also unable to fit inside a smaller than usual replacement Cornwall Air Ambulance sent to pick him up. Nathan, originally from Wales, suffered an open fracture requiring a cocktail of antibiotics to treat after the wound was left in “stinking” water while waiting for an ambulance.
Speaking from his hospital bed, Nathan said: "I had just been paddling out and something started tugging on my leash. It kind of freaked me out because I didn't know what it was. After I worked out that it was a seal and fended it off, it was just playing I think, but a wave then crashed down on me just after at a weird angle and sent my board flying into my shin.
"I remembered my mate saying he thought my board had snapped because of the sound - but then I realised it had been my shin when I felt my foot hitting the back of my leg. I just started screaming with pain, and my mate dragged me onto his board and told me to start paddling back to shore.
"After dragging him behind me to the coast I sat there for maybe 40 minutes and was eventually treated by medics - it was so painful, and I had to wait even longer in my mate's van while I waited for an ambulance after I couldn't fit in the air ambulance. I'm in hospital now waiting for my next surgery - but I just had to thank everyone for helping me out."
Nathan's friends Alec and Jason have since set up a GoFundMe with several thousand pounds raised in just a few days to help Nathan maintain an income during his recovery. Charitable himself, In August of 2021 Nathan made headlines donated surfboards to a young lad and his dad who were travelling in a car that caught fire on the A30.
Donations have flooded in with the help of the UK surfing community, with surfers from across the UK chipping in to help out. Nathan, who is originally from Wales but now living in Cornwall, is currently in Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, Devon, awaiting surgery with his leg pinned by a metal frame.
The surfer is also expecting the birth of his second child with his partner in the next five weeks - adding more worry to the situation. Alec said: "He's just such a top bloke, we just wanted to do whatever we could to help him out.
"He's currently on morphine waiting for surgery so the least we could do would be to set up a page to try and raise some money for him. Him and his partner are expecting their next child in only a few weeks too, so it's not the best time.
"We do get a lot of seals down here in Cornwall and they do try and play with you or mess about with you a bit sometimes. They're inquisitive."
You can donate to Nathan's fundraiser here: https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/nathan-phillips-leg
