An Aussie ED doctor has combined his medical training with his love of surfing to devise a simple first aid technique to “reliably” stem blood loss in the critical minutes after a shark bite.

Avid surfer Dr Nicholas Taylor has created a method of applying pressure to the femoral artery that he hopes bystanders will use to save lives around the world.

The method was twice as effective as using a ‘leg rope tourniquet’ to treat lower limb haemorrhage, according to a study by Dr Taylor and Dr David Lamond from Canberra Hospital’s emergency department.

Using body weight to press down on an area between the hip and genitals cut blood supply by 90%, they wrote in Emergency Medicine Australasia.