When walking the rock platforms of Australia, it’s not uncommon to see, even on remote headlands, a pole with a circular red floatation device attached. Colloquially known as ‘Angel Rings’, there are 130 of them on the NSW coast, 50 on the WA coast, with smaller numbers in Victoria and Tasmania.

The first Angel Ring was installed in 1992 at Moes Rock, near Jervis Bay. There, a grieving father took it upon himself to provide a safety device after his son perished fishing at the same spot. A year later, the Angel Ring was used to save the life of another fisherman swept into the sea. The loss of one life resulted in the preservation of another.

It’s a story that, with small alterations, is currently replaying itself on the NSW Mid North Coast.

In July, popular Bonny Hills surfer Kai McKenzie was surfing at Port Macquarie’s North Shore when he was attacked by a shark. Unlike the fisherman at Moes Rock, Kai survived thanks to good fortune and quick thinking. The only person on the beach was a retired policeman walking his dog. The dog lead was fashioned into a tourniquet which saved Kai’s life despite his leg being lost.

While thankful Kai survived, Danny Schouten - a good friend of Kai’s - resolved to do something that would preserve lives as it was obvious what might have happened had the retired policeman not been there.

“I originally started thinking about it when Zac Young was taken at Coffs Harbour in 2013,” says Danny, who both surfs and dives and has had many encounters with sharks over the years. A head in the sand approach simply wasn’t going to cut it.

“Fact is, surfers aren’t going to stop doing what they love so these incidents will occur again,” explains Danny. “The best solution is to be prepared for when it does happen.”

That solution is a pared down first aid kit designed for one application only - shark bite. Shark Bite Kit is a small, waterproof, and relatively cheap pack - current estimate around $60 - that includes everything bystanders might need should they witness an attack.

The kit includes a tourniquet, large dressings, compression bandage, gloves, and a whistle to blow and attract attention while working on the victim. There’s nothing unnecessary to the immediate goal of stopping bleeding and calming the victim.

Council-employed lifeguards have their own shark attack kits and know how to use them, but the issue Danny has had to work around is that surfers, like rock fisherman, seek out remote spots away from crowds. When something happens there’s few people to help, and often they’re unqualified.

For this reason, the Shark Bite Kits also include a basic instruction card because, as Danny says, “if someone’s stressed, they’re not going to want to read a full document on how to control bleeding. They need simple, effective instructions.”

The response to the Shark Bit Kits has far surpassed Danny’s expectation. “At first I told a few friends that I’m making some up,” says Danny. “They were all supportive so I bought enough just to make up ten kits.”

The first kit went to Port Macquarie’s North Shore Beach. The site of Kai’s attack, which, like the fisherman’s death at Moes Rock, sparked the initiative off. Yet in the process of raising funds and gathering materials for those first few kits a funny thing happened.

Danny put a post on a local Facebook page that “went nuts” receiving approximately “1,200 likes and hundreds of comments, all positive.” The virality kicked in: Triple M Radio put out a Local Legend Alert on him, ABC News knocked on his door, and even the local Rotary got in contact with grand plans for his simple kits.

“Initially I just wanted to help my local community,” says Danny, “but now I’ve got all these people from outside my area saying they want one.”

Danny is grateful for the response, doesn’t want to say no to anyone, but suddenly he needs a plan. “If Rotary gets involved, that’s hundreds, perhaps thousands, of kits,” says Danny. “That’s a lot of time.”

It’s not an impossible task, though rather than sourcing materials from the local Bunnings - as he did for the first ten kits - he’ll have to find a wholesaler, and he’d also have to factor his own time into the project. Then there’s the roll out and ongoing maintenance across a broad network.

Danny and Kai McKenzie celebrate the installation of the first Shark Bite Kit, fittingly located at the site of Kai's attack (Danny Schouten)

Truth be told, Danny’s not the first person to create a community-funded shark bite kit. Ten years ago, Dr Jon Cohen had a small operation in south-west WA, Dave Rutter supplies a few around the Ballina area, and Geoff Stewart maintains a few in the Yamba area.

Like Danny, Geoff hit up a few friends and they all chipped in a bit of money to get it going. Despite a stern warning on the side of the box, roughly one kit per year goes missing - usually during summer when outsiders visit who don’t grasp the importance of the kit.

Geoff tried to involve an authority or organisation to maintain and update the kits, however “neither the national parks or council wanted to get involved formally,” and as Geoff explains, “the SLSA’s role outside of patrolled beaches is limited.”

Since those rebuffs, Geoff says he “accepts the kits will be an ongoing expense.”

Which is fine if the kits remain local and limited in number, but unworkable for Shark Bite Kits and the sudden, nation-wide interest in them.

The kits contain nothing unnecessary to the immediate goal of stopping bleeding and calming the victim (Danny Schouten)

Like Geoff Stewart, Danny hasn’t had interest from councils or the SLSA, but he’s had conversations with Rotary, as already mentioned, plus various progress associations, boardrider clubs, both stand up and bodyboard, and from all around Australia, plus individuals wanting their own kits.

“Some people have been like: ‘How can I buy one from you?’” says Danny, who’s unwittingly exposed a gap in the market. “It’s been an overwhelming response.”

Help is clearly needed. The reason Angel Rings were installed around the country was because one person advocated for them who then sought help from the Australian National Sportfishing Association. The combination of enthusiasm and a national network of contacts gave the project legs.

Short of an umbrella organisation willing to take it on, Danny thinks a roll out of Shark Bite Kits will involve sponsorship: either an individual, person, or club, to pay for the kit, install it, and then maintain it should the kit need replacing or updating.

“It’s an ideal project for someone who’s down the beach every day,” explains Danny. “Just keep an eye on it, and flick me a message if some idiot has gone and taken it.”

Small and unobtrusive, the kits can attach to pre-existing poles or treated pine logs (Danny Schouten)

“I see these kits like the fishermen's rings you see on headlands,” says Danny. “These devices are there to keep our community safe and provide them the best chance of survival for when the inevitable happens.”

In thirty years, Angel Rings have been used 90 times to rescue stricken fishermen. The number of deaths averted is unknown but with statistics like that their effectiveness is now unquestionable.

Like rock fisherman, every surfer would hope they never need rescuing, but if on the rare chance it’s them that needs help, they’ll also be hoping there’s a Shark Bite Kit on the beach.

//STU NETTLE

A GoFundMe account has been established to fund Shark Bite Kits

Danny has also set up an Instagram page where all new information, including a continually updating location map, will be announced.