Sharks | PUNT ROAD END | Richmond Tigers Forum
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Sharks

LeeToRainesToRoach

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Jun 4, 2006
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Link doesn't work.


Looking at what's left of his board, he appears to be very lucky indeed. This was no "test bite".

31404976-8579627-image-a-18_1596185547242.jpg
 
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LeeToRainesToRoach

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Jun 4, 2006
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Surfer defends wife from shark attack on Mid North Coast

A surfer has jumped onto a great white shark and repeatedly punched the animal as it attacked his wife on the NSW Mid North Coast.

Chantelle Doyle, 35, was attacked by the two- to three-metre shark at Shelly Beach in Port Macquarie on Saturday morning, sustaining "severe lacerations" to her right leg.

Her husband jumped off his surfboard and onto the juvenile great white when it refused to release her.

“This fella paddled over and jumped off his board onto the shark and hit it to get it to release her and then assisted her back into the beach," Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said.

“Pretty full on, really heroic.”

Bystanders and paramedics treated the woman at the scene before she was taken to Port Macquarie Hospital. She was then flown to Newcastle Hospital to undergo surgery. She remains in a stable condition.

NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Andrew Beverley praised the bystanders who performed first aid on the woman.
"They did an amazing job before we arrived," he said.

Saturday's attack is the third on the Mid North Coast in recent months, NSW Ambulance said.
 
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LeeToRainesToRoach

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Whoah..this chick is crazy.

Yes, crazy is probably the right word.

The shark is known as "Deep Blue" and has been much observed, so she obviously feels confident that she understands its temperament and demeanour well enough to do this. Still, it's a wild animal and she is taking a risk of unknown scale.

You definitely could not go diving with any old white shark.
 

22nd Man

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Aug 29, 2011
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It's another theory to explain the attacks, is all. Didn't comment and am not saying I put credence in it. The link between the CSIRO and cage diving operations is interesting.

You must also concede that "between 3K and 13K" is a vague enough estimate as to be almost useless.
Up to this sentence It was an informative article.....Naturally, this has been the subject of yet more great white research papers by the CSIRO, which predictably downplay the dangers great whites pose to us.

Why would an objective journalist insert this subjective and unsubstantiated comment?
 

22nd Man

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Aug 29, 2011
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Former James Cook University professor Professor Peter Ridd — who a court found last year had been unlawfully sacked — says half of all peer-reviewed reports are flawed. Ridd still faces expensive legal action by his former employer, which is appealing the case because it doesn’t like the fact he broke ranks with his colleagues over the false alarmism about the Great Barrier Reef.

Has this statement been peer reviewed?

I imagine Ridd would be on double his Uni salary in a cushy think tank job these days.
 

22nd Man

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Aug 29, 2011
9,185
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Maine woman killed in an apparent shark attack, the first unprovoked attack in the state

A Maine woman was killed Monday in what officials believe to be a shark attack off the coast.

According to the Maine Department of Marine Resources, the woman was spotted swimming off the shore of Bailey Island by a witness, who then saw the woman sustain an injury from a shark attack.

The woman, whose identity remains unknown pending notification of her family, was rescued by two kayakers who took her to shore. First responders later arrived to the scene and pronounced her dead moments later, per a statement.

"Until further notice, swimmers and boaters are urged to use caution near Bailey Island and to avoid swimming near schooling fish or seals," wrote the Maine Department of Marine Resources in the statement, which was posted on Facebook late Monday evening.

Experts say unprovoked shark attacks are incredibly rare. James Sulikowski, a professor at Arizona State University who studies sharks, told the Portland Press Herald that this is the first-ever unprovoked shark attack in the state.

Due to the prevalence of seals — a shark delicacy — in the area, Sulikowski also emphasized the importance of not swimming near the marine mammal.

“We can easily be mistaken for a seal … as a shark’s dinner,” he told the Portland Press Herald.
Jaws IV?
 

LeeToRainesToRoach

Tiger Legend
Jun 4, 2006
33,186
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Melbourne
Might be best if our players give surfing a miss on their days off.

Man dies after shark attack at Greenmount Beach, Coolangatta (paywalled)
Jeremy Pierce, Thomas Chamberlin, Tobias Jurss-Lewis
Courier Mail
September 9, 2020

A Gold Coast surfer has been mauled to death in a suspected great white shark attack as one of the city’s most picturesque beaches was transformed in to a horrific scene of swirling blood and shattering screams.

Longboard rider Nick Slater, 46, was attacked by a huge shark at Greenmount Beach just after 5pm yesterday and died within minutes, despite the frantic efforts of surfers, lifesavers and paramedics in the first fatal attack at a Gold Coast beach in more than 60 years.

One of the shark’s teeth remained embedded in Mr Slater’s board in a terrifying attack that was captured on Coastalwatch surf cameras.

It was the first fatal attack at a Gold Coast beach since the controversial shark net program was introduced in the 1960s, and comes just three months after the death of Tugun surfer Rob Pedretti off the Tweed Coast.

Greenmount, one of the Gold Coast’s favourite family beaches, is protected by shark nets, with the terrible tragedy set to reignite the shark net debate.

Mr Slater, who lives in Miami, was surfing alone when the giant shark latched on to him in a bite which stretched from his hips to his knees.

He went into shock almost instantly and died minutes later on the sand as a woman’s wailing screams rang out across the beach.

Police were last night attempting to contact the his family.

Supporters of the shark net program have long pointed to the absence of any fatal attacks at Gold Coast beaches since nets were introduced in the 1960s.

The rare fatal attacks in Gold Coast waters over the following decades have taken place in the city’s network of canals, a haven for bull sharks.

A large shark, believed to have been a great white, forced the closure of several southern Gold Coast beaches in recent months, but there were no confirmed sightings for several weeks.

Yesterday’s attack happened just off the famed Greenmount point, and under the watchful gaze of a shark tower, long abandoned.

Clubbies from the Tweed Heads and Coolangatta surf life saving club leapt into action, but there was nothing they could do.

As darkness fell last night at Greenmount, water police and the police helicopter were attempting to locate the killer, but there was no further sighting before the search was suspended after dark.

Queensland Ambulance Service senior operations supervisor William Houghton praised the board riders, lifeguards, surf lifesavers and paramedics who tried in vain to save Mr Slater, saying they were distraught.

He said QAS received the call about the attack at 5.08pm.

“It’s been pretty traumatic for them,” he said.

“The scene was pretty chaotic, there was a lot of bystanders there.

“Bystanders were obviously shaken up, it was a pretty traumatic event for everybody concerned.

“We’ve offered them support.”

One boardrider who was surfing just metres from the attack said he saw the water swirling with blood.

Visibly shaken, he declined to give his name, but said he was coping “all right”.

Brisbane’s Tim Follett was walking around Greenmount headland to grab dinner at nearby Rainbow Bay when he saw the chaos unfold.

“It was like the whole beach just froze,” he said.

“There was a lady screaming, it was horrible.”

Another witness said he spotted a board floating and a body next to it.

He said he helped three others drag the surfer ashore with the board.

“We got him on to the sand and there was a lifeguard 4WD there already with a stretcher so we put him on the stretcher but he was pretty much already gone by then,” he said.

The Gold Coast’s chief lifeguard, Warren Young, was also shocked.

“It was a beautiful afternoon,” he said.

“There was really good visibility. You just never know, do you? It’s a terrible thing that’s happened.”

Shocked locals have said they were in disbelief.

Matt Lowe wrote: “Pretty wild. My kids surf there all the time at about this time of the afternoon.”

Karen Ellery Pritchard wrote: “OMG...the beach is netted...poor man, my heart goes out to his family. My hubby swims here every day, he’s a volunteer lifesaver at Greenmount...so very sad...”

The last fatal shark attack on the Gold Coast was in 2003, when 84-year-old Bob Purcell was killed by a bull shark in the Robina canals.

Southern Gold Coast beaches from the border to Burleigh Heads will be shut today.

INDUSTRY ROCKED BY TRAGEDY IN PARADISE

Tourism leaders, politicians and animal experts have been left “shocked and saddened” by the tragedy that rocked the Gold Coast yesterday.

The fatal shark attack, which claimed the life of 46-year-old surfer Nick Slater at Greenmount Beach yesterday, was the first in the area for more than 60 years.

Queensland Tourism Industry Council president Daniel Gschwind said the incident was a “tragedy” during a difficult period for the industry.

“Thankfully it’s very, very rare but when somebody gets hurt in one of our tourism hot spots it’s always a tragedy,” he said.

“But this is about someone’s life and that is the priority here.

“We’re devastated ... for the family and the people involved.”

Opposition Leader Deb Frecklington said her “thoughts are with the family and close friends of the victim as they deal with (this) unimaginable grief”.

Fisheries Minister Mark Furner called the attack “an absolute tragedy”.

“Right now our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends.”

Mr Furner said an investigation was underway into the circumstances of the attack.

Member for Currumbin Laura Gerber said the community had been rocked by the news.

Sea Shepherd representative Jonathan Clark said the organisation offered its deepest condolences to the victim, his family and the people who attempted to rescue him.

“But we’d like to say that this absolutely demonstrates that we should have modern technologies in place,” he said.

“We have modern technologies available that increase safety.”

He added there was no point going after the animal involved.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said beaches would be shut from the border to Burleigh Heads today as lifeguards and the Westpac helicopter patrolled the area.

“Like every Gold Coaster tonight, I am both shocked and saddened to learn of this terrible tragedy,” he said.
 
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LeeToRainesToRoach

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Jun 4, 2006
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Tributes flow for Esperance shark attack victim Andrew Sharpe after WA search called off

The victim of a horror shark attack off the coast of Western Australia has been remembered as a loving father and loyal mate, hours after a search for him in the ocean was called off.

Andrew Sharpe, 52, had been surfing with seven friends at Kelp Beds on Friday when he fell prey to what witnesses have described as a four-metre monster shark.

"We know the deal when we go surfing, it is what it is, but you hope it never happens to you or anyone that you know," Mr Sharpe's friend Scott Docherty told 9News.

Yesterday, witnesses say Mr Sharpe was bitten on the leg and knocked off his board as distressed onlookers watched from shore.

When Mr Sharpe's friends paddled over to help him, that's when they say the shark came back and pulled him under.

His surfboard floated back to shore hours later with bite marks on it, suggesting Mr Sharpe may not be found at all.

On the third day of a search by emergency services for Mr Sharpe in waters off Esperance, 2.5-metre swells forced divers out of the ocean after just an hour.

Authorities then made the difficult decision to end the search at midday, with the blessing of Mr Sharpe's family.

"Andrew was a very loving father, life-partner and brother," his family said in a statement today.

"He would do anything for anyone and was a great and loyal mate to his friends and people he met.

"He knew the risks and we knew the risks as well. They had been discussed often.

"Our family would like to thank everyone who was with him on Friday and the Esperance community for their support."

The abrupt end of the search came after two pieces of wetsuit were found by authorities, suggesting Mr Sharpe had not survived the aftermath of the shark attack.

"It's never easy to sit down with a family and tell them you're suspending the search," WA Police Senior Sergeant Justin Tarasinski said.

"What I will say is that Mr Sharpe's family have been absolutely fantastic in the way they're handling that side of things and it was actually with their blessing and almost their suggestion."

Mr Sharpe's attack has stirred up a number of shark-related debates in Esperance, with many calling for more protection, including the deployment of lethal drum lines.

WA Premier Mark McGowan today ruled that option out, saying his government will ramp up Great White Shark tagging after the notorious warning system failed to sound ahead of Mr Sharpe's attack.

"We're not putting in drum lines because there are people in the water," he said.

"This wouldn't have solved this problem."

The measures are expected to be discussed between Fisheries Minister Peter Tinley tomorrow when he meets with local residents and Mr Sharpe's family to discuss what could be done.

In January this year, two people tragically died as the result of shark attacks in the area.

There have been at least five shark attacks off Esperance – two deadly.

Diver Gary Johnson was taken by a great white in January and three years ago teen Laeticia Brouwer was killed at the same surf break at the centre of today's search.

- - - - -

Two assaults. No mistaken identity. When the big ones want you, they take you.

Seven deaths in 2020 equals the Australian record set in 1929 and 1934, prior to the advent of shark nets (1937).
 
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LeeToRainesToRoach

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Jun 4, 2006
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Man killed in shark attack at Broome's Cable Beach


A man has been killed in a shark attack off Broome's Cable Beach, in Western Australia's north, according to local authorities.

At about 8:45am, police were told of a serious shark attack at the popular tourist beach.

Police said a man was recovered from the water and was treated by local officers before St John Ambulance arrived.

Earlier, in an alert on its SharkSmart website, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said it was "investigating a possible shark bite incident".

A police spokesman said officers were responding with paramedics.

Authorities have asked people to take additional care near Cable Beach.

The beach has been closed.

Authorities have closed Broome's Cable Beach in the wake of the attack.(ABC News: Tyne Logan)

WA Premier Mark McGowan expressed his sympathy for the man's family.

"It's a traumatic and unexpected event and so I'd just like to pass all of our thoughts on to the people who love the man who has passed away.

"Can I thank all of those people who attempted to rescue the man in the surf.

"[It's a] very, very sad day for Broome."

WA's Deputy Police Commissioner Col Blanch said the man was in relatively shallow water when the attack happened.

"[It was] a tragic event up there, a very unusual event up there," he said.

Shark attacks rare in area​

Broome, unlike some other parts of the WA coastline, does not have a significant history of shark attacks.

A pearl diver was killed by a tiger shark in 1993 while diving at a pearl farm in Broome's Roebuck Bay.

In 1949, a woman had her arm bitten off by a tiger shark, but survived the attack.

The identity of the most recent victim is yet to be confirmed.

- - - - -

2020 into outright second as the worst year for fatal attacks in Australia.

1929 - 10 (includes three in Torres Strait close to New Guinea, but technically Queensland waters)
2020 - 8
1934 - 7
 
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LeeToRainesToRoach

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Fatal shark attacks on the rise in Australian waters
Christiane Barro
New Daily
November 23, 2020

More people in Australia have been killed in shark attacks in 2020 than in any other year since 1929, official records show.

Father of three Charles Cernobori has become the county’s eighth shark attack fatality this year.

The 58-year-old hotel worker succumbed to injuries sustained while bodyboarding about 40 metres from the shore at Cable Beach in Western Australia on Sunday.

A couple who saw Mr Cernobori thrashing in the water pulled him to shore, but he died at the scene.

Meanwhile, the shark – believed to be three to four metres in length – was seen roaming the area close to the shore for about 30 minutes after the attack.

Police attempted to destroy the animal by shooting at it, but were unsuccessful.

A record we don’t want​

Australia is just one victim away from equalling the 90-year-old national record of nine shark attack deaths in a single year.

Despite the worrying tally, we haven’t seen an increase in attacks – just fatalities.

Given there hasn’t been an increase in shark attacks, what has contributed to the sudden spike in recorded deaths?

The ability of rescue and ambulance crews to get to a shark attack victim in time to administer first aid can make all the difference, said Daryl McPhee, Associate Professor of Environmental Science at Bond University.

So if a surfer who’s patrolling a break in an isolated beach, perhaps off a rocky beach with minimal access – it’s much harder for help to reach them quickly should they be attacked, as opposed to an attack that might occur off a sandy shoreline.

Just being themselves​

Marine researcher Kent Stannard said every year is different and unlike humans, it is difficult to predict how sharks will behave.

Sharks respond to environmental cues.

Great white sharks, for example, are not dependent on water temperature, but most of the species they’re hunting are.

Coastal ocean currents bring in baitfish and other species that are more reliant on the water being a certain temperature.

As they migrate closer to the shore, so do the great whites who are following their next meal.

More often than not, there’s a lot of respect from humans towards shark attacks: We’re in their territory, after all.

But Dr McPhee said there’s still some ways we can minimise the risks to ourselves of being attacked.

Educate yourself about the environments and circumstances that attract sharks.

“A common thread is people noting that there’s a lot of baitfish in the water, there’s a lot of marine activity, there’s a lot of dolphins etc, and still going out,” Dr McPhee said.

An increase in coastal living and activity by humans means there’s more people in the water, which means there’s just a greater chance of human and shark interaction.

“We now really are just one big housing estate from the stairway up the Queensland coast to midway down the south coast of NSW,” Mr Stannard added.

“So there’s more people living on the ocean, there’s more people using the ocean.

“Every person that owns a house along the coast has got something that floats in the ocean. So the chances of interacting with these creatures is that much greater.”

- - - - -

No, Dazza. More people have died because the sharks involved were bigger. Bigger sharks have different diets and take bigger bites. It wouldn't have mattered if the Broome victim was attacked in the city baths, the bite was catastrophic and the victim was not saveable. Same with the young doctor on holiday with other doctors in the Whitsundays, and the Esperance surfer who was practically swallowed whole. If a large white or tiger bites you on the upper leg - the preferred cut - you are probably not going to live even with the best doctors in the world standing next to you.

Used to think cyclists were the world's most self-absorbed group, but shark researchers are making a play.
 

LeeToRainesToRoach

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Jun 4, 2006
33,186
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Is that an assumption, or are there figures showing it? Just seems a difficult thing to know.
The guy noted the attack rate was normal, it's the fatality rate that's high. He suggested it's because people bitten in remote locations might not receive treatment in time. Most of the victims didn't last long. Severed femoral artery is certain death.

Broome - died in water, 13ft tiger, upper leg
Esperance - died in water, large white, likely devoured completely
Gold Coast - died on beach, 10ft white, upper leg
Grafton - died on beach, 8ft white, upper leg
Fraser Island - died on beach, suspected 9ft bull, leg
Kingscliff - died on beach, 12ft white, upper leg
Barrier Reef - died in hospital, size/species unknown, leg & arm
Esperance - died in water, large white, likely devoured completely
 
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AngryAnt

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Nov 25, 2004
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perhaps through selective breeding we could encourage sharks to become smaller
 

DavidSSS

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Dec 11, 2017
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It is only a few people, I mean, is it a 250% rise and, if so, surely a 250% rise on nothing is still nothing?

DS
 
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leon

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Apr 6, 2014
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So possibly a good idea to avoid going for a swim/surf at Esperance?
 
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LeeToRainesToRoach

Tiger Legend
Jun 4, 2006
33,186
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It is only a few people, I mean, is it a 250% rise and, if so, surely a 250% rise on nothing is still nothing?
In relation to? Deaths from snakebite have fallen from 13 to 1-2 a year over the last century. If people started hugging the cuddly brown snake like we do white pointers, we could get the numbers back up where they belong.

w1200_h678_fmax.jpg


C'mon, give browny a kiss.
 
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waiting

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Apr 15, 2007
14,058
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The guy noted the attack rate was normal, it's the fatality rate that's high. He suggested it's because people bitten in remote locations might not receive treatment in time. Most of the victims didn't last long. Severed femoral artery is certain death.

Broome - died in water, 13ft tiger, upper leg
Esperance - died in water, large white, likely devoured completely
Gold Coast - died on beach, 10ft white, upper leg
Grafton - died on beach, 8ft white, upper leg
Fraser Island - died on beach, suspected 9ft bull, leg
Kingscliff - died on beach, 12ft white, upper leg
Barrier Reef - died in hospital, size/species unknown, leg & arm
Esperance - died in water, large white, likely devoured completely
Devoured completely.
That would be a frightening but hopefully quick death...

Frightening sizes too.