INJURED -- 18 December 2006 -- Winkipop, Melbourne, Australia -- surfer attacked

Peter Galvin, 25, was attacked by what witnesses described as 2.5 to 3 metre white pointer shark while surfing at Winkipop near Bells Beach, Melbourne, Australia.

The attack took place at dusk on 18 December 2006.

According to The Age Galvin received puncture wounds to the top of his calf and a major gash under his knee when he was attacked about 8pm.

He made his own way back to shore where bystanders tried to stem the blood flood flow while his surfing friend called paramedics.

Paramedics treated him at the scene before an air ambulance took him to Royal Melbourne Hospital.

A police spokeswoman at nearby Torquay told the newspaper: “A tooth was found in his wetsuit. He had been bitten from behind, resulting in wounds to his upper thigh and lower calf. He was very lucky to escape without being more seriously injured."

Sources:
The Age

INJURED -- 6 December 2006 -- Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa -- angler attacked

A brief report in South Africa’s The Citizen newspaper says an angler with national colours, Peter Willoughby, 25, was bitten by a 150kg ragged tooth shark while trying to unhook it after catching the shark at Cape Vidal, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), South Africa.

The report said the incident happened at 7pm on 6 December 2006. Willoughby was standing in waist-deep, discoloured water when he caught the shark.

He was bitten on his hands, calf and thigh.

“In trying to unhook it, Willoughby was bitten on the hand and as he let go, a wave rolled the shark onto his body and he was bitten again.

"Willoughby lost a lot of blood and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff immediately arranged for him to be taken to St Lucia, where Dr Jan Combrink treated him,” according to the report.

He received 63 stitches to his wounds.

A KZN wildlife park spokesman told the newspaper: “The young man was very lucky it was a raggie, which has sharp, pointed teeth rather than cutters.

“This provoked incident is the first of its kind along this coast.”

Sources:
The Citizen

INJURED -- 11 December 2006 -- Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand -- surfer attacked

Elliot Paerata-Reid, 10, was surfing with his father at Manu Bay, Raglan, New Zealand on Monday 11 December 2006 when he was bitten on the foot by a shark.

"I thought it was a rock at first, then it just came up and bit me," Elliot told the New Zealand Herald.

The boy received cuts to the base and top of his foot.

His father Jamarl Paerata told the newspaper: "I just thought it was a sort of a nudge, but I heard Elliot say 'get out, get out.' I said to him 'it's just a small one' but it rolled over and took off, and then I saw blood coming out of his foot."

He said the shark was the same size as Elliot, but did not know what type of shark it was.

Elliot told the newspaper that his father ditched his own board, asking another surfer to take care of it, and immediately began paddling in to shore with him.

Ashore, medics stitched up the wounds on his foot.

Elliot told media it was a shame the summer had got off to such a frightening start, but would be back in the surf when his wounds had healed.

Raglan is one of New Zealand's top surf spots and attracts surfers from around the world.


Sources:
New Zealand Herald

INJURED – 10 December 2006 – Dillon Beach Marin County, California, US – surfer attacked

Royce Frailey, 43, was suffered minor injuries when bitten on the leg by a 12-15 foot Great White shark while surfing with friends off Dillon Beach in northwest Marin County, California, United States.

The attack took place on Sunday 10 December 2006 at around 11.50am local time.

Marin County fire Captain Rick Wonneberger told media that Frailey was pulled 15 feet under the water before the shark let go. He said the board had teeth marks from the attack

According to the fire captain Frailey was paddling his board when the attack took place. A friend of Frailey’s who was surfing 10 feet away when the attack took place said he saw the 12-15 foot Great White shark.

No other details were reported at the time of this blog.

Sources:
San Francisco Chronicle
CBS 5

NEW SHARK -- Shark under ice -- the mysterious Greenland shark

In the frigid, murky waters of the St. Lawrence River in Québec, UBC marine biologist and veterinarian Chris Harvey-Clark is painting a clearer picture of a mysterious predator that could be the longest-lived vertebrate on the
planet.

The Greenland shark typically inhabits the deep, dark waters between Greenland and the polar ice cap. At over six metres long and weighing up to 2,000 kilograms, it is the largest shark in the North Atlantic and the only shark in the world that lives under Arctic ice. Once heavily harvested for its vitamin A-rich oil -- as many as 50,000 were caught annually according to a 1948 estimate -- little is known about the animal.

For more on this story go to CDNN

or visit: Harvey-Clark's research at: www.geerg.ca

Teen attacked at Australia's Wharton Beach -- update

A teenager whose leg was bitten off by a great white shark told yesterday how he felt a "bit of a tug" as he was mauled by the 4m monster.

Zac Golebiowski, 15, had his right leg torn off from the knee when he was attacked as he surfed with his 18-year-old brother and a friend near Esperance, in Western Australia, on Saturday.

As the WA Government yesterday temporarily overturned a hunting ban on the endangered species, saying the shark responsible could be killed if it was found close to people, Zac told his family of the seemingly innocuous moment when he was grabbed.

• More from Australia's News.com

INJURED – 2 December 2006 -- Wharton Beach, Western Australia -- surfer attacked

Zak Golebiowski, 15, had part of his right leg bitten off while body boarding about 40 metres offshore of Wharton Beach at Duke of Orleans Bay, 70km east of Esperance, Western Australia.

The attack by a five-metre Great White shark took place around 7.40am local time.

Zak was surfing with his brother when the shark attacked. The shark bit off part of his right leg and severely lacerated and punctured his left leg. His brother and a friend managed to drag the badly mauled boy onto a surfboard and to shore, according to media reports.

On shore a fisherman, Pete Hickmott, and his partner Amy Worling used a sweatshirt and an electrical cord as a tourniquet to stem the bleeding and drove Zak to Esperance, where he was airlifted to the Royal Perth Hospital.

Doctors told media the boy was in a stable condition after surgery.

"The look on his face, the colour of his skin, he was grey. It wasn't too good," Hickmott told Perth's Sunday Times newspaper.

"All I heard was screams. Then I saw the pool of blood and the surfboard behind it. It wasn't good."

Peter Hudson, the owner of Esperance Fishing and Diving, told media the couple’s quick response was critical for the boy's survival. He said he has no doubt the couple contributed greatly to the survival of the young man and in a situation like that, immediate first aid is paramount.

Sources:
The Nation
Yahoo News
One News

SCARED -- 31 October 2006 -- Siletz River mouth, Lincoln City, Oregon, US -- surfer attacked

Tony Perez, 22, was surfing with two friends just before sundown about 300 metres offshore of the Siletz River mouth, Lincoln City, Oregon, US, when he was attacked by an estimated 16-17 foot great white shark, according to a report published 22 November in Oregon's The News Guard.

Perez escaped injury as the shark bit the back of his board and pulled it under water before releasing it and swimming away.

According to the newspaper:

"I didn't see a thing," the 22-year-old said.

"It hit out of nowhere," he said, snapping his fingers for emphasis. "That's the scariest thing about it.

You never know what's going to happen."

It happened this Halloween, just before sundown, when Perez and two friends were about 300 yards off the mouth of the Siletz River surfing some of the best waves of the season.

The trio had been surfing about two and a half hours and muscles were getting fatigued when one of his friends decided to pack it in, saying he had a strange feeling. All of the elements for "sharky water" were in place — sundown, off the mouth of a river, rainy weather with salmon running and seals. And to top it off, Perez, who had broken his surfboard in the morning, was using a loaner-board from The Oregon Surf Shop — a bright yellow loaner.

Some surfers believe yellow attracts sharks more than other colors, though shark experts say it isn't so.

"I guess Jeff left us out here for feeding time," Perez joked to the friend who'd stayed behind with him to catch a few more waves before the sun went down.

The words were barely out of his mouth when it happened.

"I felt a violent blast on the back of the board," said Perez, who was lying flat on his ride and just happened to have his legs bent with his feet up in the air. "It pulled me back and down, but my head didn't go under water.

My feet came down on top of it, and I felt this huge rock-hard body, just this big old beast below me."

"I just started swimming as fast as I could away from him toward my buddy who was about 15 feet away," Perez said. "I swam like mad. I didn't know what to do man."

Perez's board was still attached to his ankle by a short leash. He yanked it to him and jumped back on.

He told his friend, who hadn't seen a thing, what happened. His buddy thought Perez was joking at first.

"I'm not kidding," he said. "We gotta get out of here."

As luck would have it, there were no waves to catch — so it was one long, exhausting sprint to the beach, Perez said. "Of course, I was first to the beach."

As he paddled he thought maybe some huge, angry seal had hit him.

"Then I got to the beach and saw the teeth marks."

The telltale u-shaped bite marks of a large shark stretched from one side of the 16-inch-wide surf board to the other — and up a good 14 inches into its 5-foot-7-inch length.

The shark's mouth had opened wide enough to get around and over the three fins jutting from the end of the board, and the teeth marks it left behind on the board measured 2-inches across.

After examining photos of the board and measurements of the bite marks, shark expert Ralph Collier in Los Angeles, said the attack was indeed from a great white that he estimates was between 16- and 17-feet long and at least 4,000 pounds.

Perez's friend back on shore had seen a large splash behind Perez's board but figured it was a seal.

"I just got lucky," Perez said. "I happened to have my legs up, and that's it. Otherwise I would have been a pirate for Halloween."

Perez didn't see nor hear the shark approach.

"That's the thing about great whites, especially, quick, heavy attacks," he said. "But he bit into a hard, epoxy surfboard, and that's not what he wanted. He expected a big juicy seal and instead got a mouthful of plastic fins and not any bit of me, no blood or anything. So he just backed off."

"This year there's been more than usual, with four or five attacks, more sightings and more bumps," said Norman Eburn, manager of The Oregon Surf Shop in Lincoln City.

His theory: "It might have something to do with the dead-zone."

The dead zone to which he refers is a recent reoccurring phenomena of oxygen-depleted water stretching from the central Oregon coast to the central Washington coast that has killed marine life and forced some creatures closer to shore in search of food.

But none of that fazes Perez, who was out surfing the very next morning after the attack — albeit at a different spot.

"I'm not that crazy," Perez said. "I wrote that spot off for a little while. But surfing is all I do. It's really important to me. And after something like that, it's like lightning striking — hopefully, it won't happen again."

Source: The News Guard

Photo: News Guard photo by Garret Jaros

INJURED -- 9 November 2006 -- Nahoon River, East London, South Africa -- swimmer attacked

Richard Tebbutt was bitten on the left arm by a 1.5 metre Zambezi shark after he mistakenly grabbed it by the tail, thinking it was a fish a fisherman had on the end of his line.

In this rather odd incident which took place in the Nahoon River, close to the mouth, on Thursday 9 November 2006, Tebbutt was paddling his canoe on the river when he saw a fisherman struggling with a fish he had caught. Tebbutt jumped out of his canoe thinking he would assist the fisherman with his catch. He dived down and grabbed the fish by its tail, but it turned out to be a Zambezi shark, which turned and bit him on the left arm.

Tebbutt told the local newspaper, the Daily Dispatch: “I just jumped out of my canoe and dived down and grabbed the fish by its tail … I got a shock of my life when I saw a big Zambezi shark, charging towards me.

“The shark quickly turned around, grabbed my left arm and lacerated it. Within a split second, I saw my blood in the river.

“I just smacked the shark as hard as I could with my right arm to get it to let go of me.

“I was in the water holding my arm which was bleeding profusely, and the shark started coming towards me very fast.

“I immediately jumped out of the water onto the rocks and it missed me … I could have been dead by now.”

Tebbutt was helped by his son, also out paddling a canoe on the river. He was taken to St Dominics Hospital where he had 50 stitches.

He told the newspaper: “I was shocked that I had overcome the shark. Its strength was unbelievable.

“In my 30 years in surfing, I never thought I would have this kind of experience.”

There have been several shark attacks on surfers in the East London area over the years.

Zambezi sharks are renown for scavenging up rivers and in river mouths. They are also known as Bull sharks and are notorious for attacks on people around the world.

Sources:
Daily Dispatch

INJURED -- 11 November 2006 -- Kama'ole Beach Park II, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii -- swimmer attacked

Kyle Gruen, 29, was bitten on his left side by a shark while swimming about 30 to 40 feet offshore of Kama'ole Beach Park II, Kihei, Maui, Hawaii. His thigh and hand were injured in the attack which took place at 12.30 pm local time on Saturday 11 November 2006, according to a report in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Gruen was carried to shore by bystanders and taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where he was reported in a stable condition.

His twin brother Jeff Gruen, who was on the beach at the time of the attack told the newspaper: “He was swimming along when just all of a sudden it got him. He pulled away and kicked it off, and it took off right away."

The size or species of shark was not reported.

Sources: Honolulu Advertiser

INJURED -- 14 October 2006 -- Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, Texas, US -- surfer attacked

Surfer Freddy Torres, 20, was bitten on the lower left calf while surfing at Isla Blanca Park, South Padre Island, Texas, US on Saturday 14 October.

“Everything happened really fast. I thought a guy had come and hit me with his board then I felt something tearing through my skin, [near] my ankle somewhere,” Torres told media.

The bite measured 16 centimetres and went around his calf, according to the report.

Friends on the shore helped Torres get medical attention.

According to media, witnesses report seeing a 4 foot shark in the area that day.

No details were reported about the possible species of shark or where or what medical attention the victim received.

Sources:
KGBT 4

INJURED -- 10 October 2006 -- Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US -- surfer injured

A 20-year-old surfer, Kyle Cody, was bitten above the left ankle by a shark while watching bait fish in knee-deep water near the Ocean Walk Band Shell at Daytona Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US.

The brief report said the incident took place on Tuesday 10 October 2006.

His injuries were very minor and he was treated at the scene and walked away, although emergency crew attending his wound “advised him to get a stitch or two at a hospital”.

WESH 2 News quotes Cody as saying: “I was just standing there watching little fish jump and I felt a bite.

"We jumped out of the water. I never saw the fish or anything."

Media reports say this is the 11th shark bite in Volusia Country this year.

Sources:
MESH 2 News via Yahoo News
Central Florida News 13

INJURED -- 5 October 2006 ?? -- New Smyrna Beach, Volusia Country, Florida, US -- wader attacked

A brief report by Central Florida News 13 says an 18-year-old was bitten on the leg by a shark while he was playing ball in about 2 feet of water. The incident took place at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia Country, Florida, US. The name of the victim was not reported. And the date of the attack was not mentioned in the 6 October report, which said he was recovering and “was expected to be OK”.

The report quoted lifeguards as saying: “The inland jetty area, New Smyrna Beach sometimes has slightly more occurrence with sharks interacting with swimmers than the other parts of the beach, especially if there are bait pods cruising the area.”

There have been several incidents of shark bites at New Smyrna Beach this year.

No other details were mentioned.

Sources:
Central Florida News 13

INJURED -- 29 September 2006 -- Ponce de Leon Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US -- surfer attacked

A brief report in the Daytona Beach News said Chris Andrews, 19, was bitten on the right foot by a shark while surfing at the south jetty of Ponce de Leon Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, about 2 pm on Friday 29 September.

He was treated on the beach for three lacerations to his big toe and a couple of other toes and was then taken by private car to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna. Hospital officials declined to comment on his condition, according to the report.

No other details were available.

Sources:
Daytona Beach News

INJURED -- 16 September 2006 -- Onslow Beach, North Carolina, US -- surfer attacked

Jake Poland, 16, was bitten on the left thigh by a 2-3 foot shark while surfing with friends at Onslow Beach, North Carolina, United States. The minor attack took place on Saturday morning 16 September 2006.

Poland was treated at Camp Lejeune Naval Hospital.

He told media he had just got off his surfboard in waist deep water when he felt something hit him on the leg.

“A wave came in and it felt like it knocked my board into my leg,” he said. It wasn’t until a friend pointed out that his shorts were shredded that he noticed a deep gash. Poland said he walked out of the water, while his two friends went to get help.

He had a jagged gash on his left thigh that went through the muscle. It required 10 stitches to sow the wound together.

Paul Barrington, director of husbandry and operations for the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher told the Daily News in Jacksonville that shark bites are pretty rare in North Carolina.

“There have only been about seven to 10 documented cases in the last 30 years or so,” he said.

Sources:
The Daily News

INJURED -- 14 September 2006 -- Singer Island, Florida, US -- swimmer attacked

Willie Carroll, 55, was bitten on the hand by a small shark off Singer Island in Riviera Beach, Florida, US, on Thursday, 14 September 2006.

Carroll told media that the shark was about 3 feet long and dark in colour.

Emergency workers took him to St Mary's hospital, where he was treated and released.

No other details were reported.

Source:
Yahoo news

INJURED - New Smyrna Beach... Part 2

A report from the Daytona Beach News-Journal Online -- East Volusia said a second person was attacked by a shark while swimming at New Smyrna Beach. Beside the attack on Christopher Duncan, 33, who as was standing in waist-deep water Sunday, 3 September, (near the 700 block of North Atlantic Avenue) when a 3-foot shark swam up and bit him on his right thigh, a child swimming in the water on Saturday (2 September) near the 4100 block of South Atlantic Avenue was bitten on the arm, according to Captain Scott Petersohn, Volusia County Beach Patrol spokesman. No other information was available.

INJURED -- 3 September 2006 -- New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US, -- swimmer attacked

Christopher Duncan was bitten on the right thigh by a small shark off New Smyrna Beach, Florida, US, on Sunday evening, 3 September.

Volusia County Beach Patrol officials said the shark was probably only about three feet long. The incident occurred about 5:30pm.

Duncan was taken to Bert Fish Medical Center in New Smyrna Beach.

No other details were reported.

Sources:
Orlando Sentinel

SCARED -- 2 September 2006 -- Noordhoek beach, Cape Town, South Africa -- surfer attacked

Surfer Steven Harcourt-Wood, 37, was surfing with friends at Noordhoek beach, Cape Town, South Africa on Saturday 2 September, when a 3.5-metre Great White tried to attack him while the other surfers looked on, according to a report on IOL.

He told the Cape Times: "It came at me, thrashing its tail and bashing the board.

"There was no doubt in my mind that he wanted to serve me up for dinner.”

The surfers were all caught in a flat spell in the surf and couldn’t get a wave to the beach.

"It was completely flat. We were stuck,” Harcourt-Wood said.

"And no one paddled away because the shark could have chased them.

"I was trying to get a look at its eyes and mouth so I could position myself correctly, but it was coming from far below the water."

Harcourt-Wood said he squared up to the shark and paddled at it face to face.

"I think that's what saved me. If you move fast or paddle away they are more likely to see you as prey and go for you," he told the newspaper.

"The sharks were never a problem in the past - they've always been there but they never used to attack people.

"I've seen small ones out at the back from time to time but this is different.

"Their behaviour has changed completely."

There is an ongoing debate in and around Cape Town whether chumming the water at nearby Gansbaai to encourage sharks to approach for shark-cage diving - a big tourist attraction - has lead to a noticeable increase in the number of unprovoked shark attacks in Cape Town waters in recent years.

Great White sharks are a protected species in South Africa.

Sources:
IOL

INJURED -- 29 August 2006 -- South Jetty, Florence, Oregon, US -- surfer attacked

Surfer Tom Larson suffered minor cuts when a shark bit him twice on his foot while he was surfing around 8pm on the Oregon Coast.

The attack took place while he was surfing with friends at South Jetty, Florence.

Paramedics were quoted as saying the wounds were minor -- (he had eight holes in his foot and received 35 stitches) -- and that he was treated and released from Peace Harbor Hospital the same night.

Larson told KGW news: "It felt like a vise, or a bear trap even, right on my foot, and he started shaking it, and I knew it was a shark by then, so I started screaming, ‘shark!’ as loud as I could, because my friends were in the water, and I wanted them to get out.”

He said he beat the shark with his board until it let go and then he paddled to shore.

Larson said he didn’t feel pain: “I mean, the fear and the adrenaline was amazing because you see that fin, I didn't see his face but I saw that fin, so I knew what was happening, and every surfer dreads that.”

No other details were reported.

Sources:
KVAL 13 News
KGW

FATAL -- 20 August 2006 -- Pointe du Diable, Reunion -- surfer attacked

Surfer Sebastien Emond, 34, died in hospital after having his arm ripped off by a shark while surfing at Pointe du Diable (Devil's Point) in the south of Reunion, a French Territory island in the Indian Ocean near Madagascar.

The attacked took place on Sunday 20 August. The time of attack was not reported.

His surfing companions managed to drag him 100 metres to shore. He was bleeding profusely from the wound and lost consciousness from blood loss. Paramedics managed to keep him alive as they took him to hospital in the nearest town, St Pierre. He died during surgery late Sunday.

Water sports are banned at Pointe du Diable due to the number of shark sightings. However, surfers ignore the ban to surf the large waves at the point, according to media.

Bull sharks and Tiger sharks are the two most common sharks involved in attacks at Reunion. La Reunion's marine observatory has recorded 24 shark attacks off the island's shores since 1980, 13 of which have been fatal.

Sources:
The Raw Story
News.com.au
IOL

INJURED -- <16 August 2006 -- North Coast, Oregon, US -- surfer attacked

A brief report appeared on KREM 2 News on 16 August saying a surfer, Bob Martin, of Liberty Lake, was on the mend of after being bitten “three weeks ago” on the thigh while surfing “about a thousand feet offshore”.

The report said he was bitten by a Great White on the north coast of Oregon. The exact site and time and date of the attack is not reported.

According to the report rangers on the beach said it was the second shark attack of the summer. There were no further details.

KREM quotes Martin as saying: "I was paddling, catching a wave, moved up on the board and something hit me from behind." He said he never saw the shark.

There were no other details in the report.

Source:KREM

DESCRIBED -- Lifeguard tells his story of shark attack

False Bay, South Africa, lifeguard Achmat Hassiem, 24, lost his right foot when it was bitten off by a shark, presumably a Great White, while he was doing lifeguard training in False Bay on Sunday 13 August. He recounted the attack from his his hospital bed.

Hassiem and his brother Taariq, 17, were in the water acting as patients while other lifeguards were in a nearby boat about 200 metres offshore.

Hassiem said he saw the shark’s fine slicing through the water towards his younger brother.

From his hospital bed Hassiem recounted the attack. The following excerpt was reported by IOL.

“It was going for my brother. I shouted: 'Taariq! Shark!' and then started splashing about in the water so that I would attract the shark to me.

"The shark turned around and came towards me. It grabbed my ankle and shook me, then pulled me under water. I thought the game was over. But as I went down, I told myself, 'No, you're not going to die now', and I started kicking it.

"It had my right leg and I kicked at its head with my left leg.

"I don't know how many times I kicked it, maybe four times. But I needed to get breath, I could feel I had already taken in seawater. And then it let go.

"As I came up I saw my brother's hand in the water and grabbed it.

"I looked back and saw the shark coming towards me for a second time, but the guys in the boat pulled me in before he got to me. They saved my life.

"I don't know how to describe what it was like.

"You don't feel pain. It had my leg in its mouth but I did not feel pain. It was just, I don't know, just this brute power, this massive brute force against me, against nothing.

"I want to go back [to being a lifeguard]. I'm being as brave as I can. But I struggle to sleep. Every time I close my eyes I see it all again, every detail."

Source: IOL

INJURED -- 13 August 2006 -- Muizenberg, Cape Town, South Africa -- lifeguard attacked

Lifeguard Achmat Hassiem, 24, had his foot bitten off, by what is believed to be a Great White while doing lifeguard training about 200 metres from shore at Sunrise Beach, Muizenberg, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa.

The attack occurred around 11am on Sunday 13 August.

According to media reports Hassiem was training with other lifeguards including his brother Taariq, 17.

They were alone together in deep water, acting as "patients" for three lifesavers in a boat, when Achmat saw the shark heading for Taariq.

Media reports quoted Taariq as saying his brother was the first to see the shark and shouted: “Taariq shark!”

Taariq was hauled into the lifesavers boat, then the shark headed for Achmat, who disappeared beneath the water.

Seeing a dark patch, Taariq reached in to grab his brother, not knowing if the shark would bite him.

Taariq said that Achmat was pulled into the boat, his leg "dripping with blood", but instead of swimming away, "the shark actually turned around and came for us again".

"It actually knocked the boat quite hard, but there were five of us so it couldn't knock it over."

They got Achmat ashore where he was treated by lifesaver medics who controlled the bleeding, elevated his leg and stabilised his condition.

Achmat was airlifted to Constantiaberg Medi-Clinic by Metro Red Cross AMS helicopter.

Hospital officials said he was recovering in ICU after surgery and was in a stable condition.

False Bay is renowned as a Great White breeding ground. On 28 July a lifeguard’s surf-ski was attacked by 3.5-4 metre Great White in False Bay.

Sources:
News24
Wavescape

Pic Credit:
Steve Pike, Wavescape

FRIGHTENED -- 28 July 2006 -- Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa -- lifeguard’s surf-ski attacked

Lyle Maasdorp, 19, was paddling his surf-ski past Fish Hoek Point at Sunny Cove, False Bay, Cape Town, South Africa, after launching from Fish Hoek beach when a shark attacked and bit the back end of his surf ski.

The attack took place on Friday 28 July (time of attack not reported). According to the report on News24 Allison Kock of the shark-working group interviewed Lyle and investigated the bite marks on the surf-ski and estimated that the shark was a great white, approximately 3.5m to 4m in length.

According to the report Lyle said he felt the back of his surf-ski lifting out of the water and he heard a crunching sound. He fell off his surf-ski and realised it was a shark when his hand landed on the shark’s back. He stayed with his surf-ski and then abandoned it after a another paddler helped him onto the back of his surf-ski and paddled him to nearby rocks where they got out of the water.

Lyle was shaken but uninjured.

Source: News24

INJURED -- 29 July 2006 -- Playalinda Beach, Florida, US -- surfer attacked

Matt Wishengrad, 15, was bitten on the foot while surfing at Playalinda Beach, Florida, US on Saturday, 29 July.

The brief report on WFTV said Matt was trying out his new surfboard when the shark bit down hard on his foot. When the shark let go, Wishengrad swam as fast as he could for the beach.

"I paddled back and, as I looked behind me and saw a trail of blood, I was like, hope another shark doesn't come and get me," he said.

He required a lot of stitches to close up the shark bite, according to WFTV.

No other details were reported.

Source: WFTV

INJURED -- < 24 July 2006 -- Sargent Beach, Matagorda County, Texas, US – fisherman attacked

R.K. Halbert was bitten on his right ankle while fishing from the beach at Sargent Beach in Matagorda County, Texas, US. The KHOU report follows his admittance on 24 July to CyFair Medical Center for an infection in his foot caused by the bite. The date of the attack is not mentioned.

Halbert told KHOU: "I had the rod over my shoulder and I was dragging bait behind me. Probably smelled the bait, came from behind, smelled the bait and hit my foot,

"He grabbed me, jerked me for a minute, pulled me backwards and then let go. It felt like a bear trap closing in on my foot."

The shark -- believed to be a bull shark about 4 or 5 feet long -- bit Halbert just above his right ankle.

It tore a hole through his wading bootie and almost knocked him down.

"[It] wasn't his fault it was my fault. You are no longer the top of the food chain when you're in the water," said Halbert.

Sources: KHOU

INJURED -- 17 July 2006 -- Singleton Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US -- wader attacked

Dallas Jackson claims he was bitten on the leg by a shark in chest deep water at Singleton Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US.

The incident occurred about 10am local time while Jackson was watching his wife and young son boogie boarding.

"I just felt a very large, almost like a baseball bat, hitting me in the leg," Jackson told media. "It was really hard. It kind of knocked me off balance, and I felt a little bit of a tug at the same time.

"The first thing that went through my mind was, `I just got bit by a shark.' "

Jackson waded to shore and wrapped the wound in a towel. His family drove him to hospital. The wound required around 12 stitches.

Media said that authorities were still to confirm whether the wound was caused by shark, but quoted Jackson as saying he was in no doubt going by the puncture wounds, blood and the flap of skin hanging from his leg when made it to the beach.

No other details -- Jackson’s age, the name of the hospital, the type of shark -- were reported.

Source:
Charlotte Observer

INJURED -- 4 (??) July 2006 -- Florida Keys, US -- spear fisher attacked

A report by AFP on 18 July refers to a shark attack “two weeks ago” on the sister, Bebe, of Gary Hall, an Olympic Gold Medallist swimmer. The two were spearfising in the Florida Keys when the incident happened.

Bebe, 28, and Hall fought off the shark, but not before it had bitten Bebe on the arm, which required 19 stitches. Hall was uninjured in the attack. Bebe managed to shoot the shark in the mouth with her speargun before it left the two alone.

According to the report: the Halls were spear fishing about 200 metres from their boat and spotted a shark. They started swimming back to their boat when a 1.8 metre black tip reef shark attacked.

"Another shark larger than the first one we saw came in from the side and bit (Bebe) on the arm," Hall said. "I didn't realise she had been bit before the shark was on me.

"It was swimming after me and thrashing and had its back arched in a frenzy mode. I kept punching it in the nose and kicking it and it kept coming after me.

"I was eventually able to get underneath it and roll it off of me. That's when it charged toward my sister.

"She had already been bit, but in the meantime she had enough sense to load the spear.

"The shark charged her with its mouth open and she shot it."

The shark swam away and they managed to get back to the boat where Hall fashioned a tourniquet for Bebe's arm.

"It was definitely a shot of adrenaline," Hall said. "I don't know what my split was for the 50 metres, but I am sure I haven't swam that fast in years."

Sources:
Yahoo News

INJURED -- 12 July 2006 -- Kiawah Island, South Carolina, US -- swimmer attacked

A very brief news report says a 21-year-old woman was bitten on the ankle by a shark while swimming off a private beach on Kiawah Island, South Carolina, US, on Wednesday12 July 2006. Another report on the Kiawah Island website says she was transported to hospital around 1.30pm local time. She was reportedly taken to nearby Roper St Francis Hospital in good condition.

This is the second shark attack in South Carolina in a week. There was an attack in DeBordieu on 8 July.

No other details were available at the time of this blog.

Sources:
ABC News Charleston

Kiawah Island website news

INJURED -- 9 July 2006 -- New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US -- swimmer attacked

A 40-year-old New York man (name not reported) was bitten on the top of his left foot in waist-deep water near the jetty at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US, around 5pm local time on Sunday 9 July.

Officials told the media the injury was minor and the man did not require medical treatment.

A beach patrol officer said the man had two small cuts on the top of his foot.

No other details for were available at the time of this blog.

Sources:
First Coast News

INJURED - 8 July 2006 -- Debordieu, Georgetown County, South Carolina, US -- surfer attacked

Caelin Lacy, 14, was bitten on the left foot by a shark while surfing in chest deep water off the north end of Debordieu, near Pawleys Island, Georgetown Country, South Carolina, US.

The attack took place after 11am local time on Saturday 8 July.

Reports differ on the type of shark believed responsible for the attack. One quotes Caelin as saying it was a Bull shark that bit her. Another report quotes her as saying it was a 5-6 foot spinner shark.

Caelin told WIS 10 TV she was surifng on her Boogie board about 25 feet from the beach.

"A group of bait fish had swum in around me, and I hadn't seen them, and a bunch of sharks did too, a pack. They were feeding."

She said that at one point there were 20 fins surrounding her.

"I looked behind me and something had grabbed hold of my foot, it was a six-foot bull shark. And it tore up my foot, but it didn't thrash or anything. I kicked it with my right foot, and it let go immediately."

"When I first got bit, it didn't hurt because it hadn't really clicked yet, didn't seem real. Then when I looked back at my foot, all the blood in the water, I started screaming and I freaked out. Then I blacked out and the next thing I remember was being on the sand."

Caelin was quoted by The Sun News’ Myrtle Beach Online as saying she had just caught a wave, "another good wave was coming and I started kicking. All of a sudden, I turned around and something had grabbed hold of my foot."

With her free foot, she kicked the shark - which she identified as a 5- to 6-foot-long spinner shark - and screamed for help, the report said.

Her mother, Janice Lacy, and an unidentified man, ran from the beach to rescue her. "It seemed like miles to me at the time," said her mother. "When I got to her there were fins all around her. She was in the middle of a school of fish."

Lacy told the media how her daughter reached out to her for help. She said the uncertain rescue the most horrifying moment of her life.

"I just grabbed her by the wrist and pulled to just yank her to me," she said. "I didn’t know what part of her was going to come with me when I yanked, when I pulled her out. That was the moment that I will never forget."

Doctors who were on the beach at the time helped stop the bleeding. She was taken to Georgetown Memorial Hospital.

The shark bite severed three tendons, the most important one was only half torn meaning she was likely to make a full recovery. Caelin said doctors had told her she would require around 70 stitches.

"You're more likely to be struck by lightening than you are to be attacked by sharks," Caelin told the the media. "I can't let this keep me out of the water."

Sources:
Myrtle Beach Online

WIS 10 TV


image source

INJURED -- 9 July 2006 -- Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, US -- wader attacked

A very brief report from First Coast News says an 11-year-old boy was bitten on the leg in knee-deep water on Sunday, 9 July, at Ponte Vedra Beach, on the Atlantic coast of Florida, US.

The report said the boy was taken to Baptist Hospital South, Jacksonville, with non-life threatening injuries.

No further details or reports were available at the time of this blog.

Resources:
First Coast News

INJURED -- 8 July 2006 -- Playalinda Beach, Canaveral National Seashore, Florida, US -- swimmer attacked

A teenage boy (either 13 or 14) was bitten on the left calf by a shark while swimming off Playalinda Beach at Canaveral National Seashore, Florida, US on Saturday 8 July.

The boy was not identified.

The attack took place around 1pm while he was swimming with his mother. She told media she saw her boy being pulled under the water up to his neck then heard him scream.

The boy was taken to Parrish Medical Center in Titusville by ambulance and then airlifted to Orlando’s Arnold Palmer (Hospital for Women and Children) in stable condition.

There were no other details available at he time of this blog.

Sources:
Orlando Sentinel
Florida Today

INJURED -- 24 June 2006 -- Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas -- diver attacked

Fisherman Whitefield Rolle, 25, lost his right arm when he was attacked by a shark while spear fishing at Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas. The attack occurred around 1pm on Saturday 24 June, according to a brief report in the Nassua Guardian on 28 June.

Sergeant David Thompson of the Police Station was quoted as saying Rolle had “speared a snapper and went to retrieve it. And while doing that a shark passed at the same time and caught him in the right arm."

Rolle was airlifted into New Providence hospital in Nassau around 4 pm that afternoon.

Sergeant Thompson told the newspaper that the attack was the first of its kind to occur in the Mangrove Cay fishing community to his knowledge.

No further details about the nature of the attack, Rolle's condition -- whether his arm was severed in the attack or whether it had to be amputated -- or size and species of the shark were reported.

Sources:
Nassau Guardian

INJURED -- 27 June 2006 -- Hutchinson Island, Florida, US -- boogie boarder attacked

Nine-year-old Juliette Shipp was bitten on the right calf while standing in two to three foot of water with her boogie board off Hutchinson Island, off the Atlantic coast of Florida.

According to media witnesses said quite a chunk was taken out of her calf, however Audria Moore, a police spokeswoman told The Times: “She’s going to be fine. She will need some stitches. She’s not losing her leg. It’s still intact.”

The attack took place about 11am on Tuesday 27 June. The size and type of shark was not reported.

The girl’s mother told CBS4 News she was on a raft in deeper water at the time of the attack. She heard her daughter scream and then when she lifted up her leg up she saw the wound. She went over and grabbed her daughter and took her to the beach.

The girl was admitted to Lawnwood Medical Centre where she was to undergo surgery.

Sources:
The Times online
CBS4 News

FATAL -- 18 June 2006 -- Olinda, Brazil -- surfer attacked

Humberto Pessoa Batista, 27, died from blood loss after being attacked by a shark while surfing at a beach in the city of Olinda in North East Brazil. Olinda is just north of Recife.

Bastista was surfing with around 30 other surfers about 15 metres from the beach when he was bitten on the left thigh. The bite ruptured his femoral artery and he died of blood loss as rescue workers tried to take him to hospital.

No other details were available at the time of this blog.

According to media Batista's death was the 18th since 1992 caused by shark attacks in the area. Surfing has traditionally been banned in the area due to the high concentration of sharks attracted to waters off Recife by a large coral reef where they feed, but authorities had lifted the restriction this year because few sharks had been sighted.

Sources: Associated Press via Yahoo News

INJURED -- 16 June 2006 -- New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, US -- surfer attacked

A 24-year-old surfer suffered minor cuts from a shark bite while wading in four feet of murky water at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, Beach on Thursday 15 June, Beach Patrol officials told media.

Mike Milea was wading just south of the jetty at Ponce de Leon Inlet around 3:30 pm when he felt something grabbing at his left ankle.

He was treated on the beach for three or four puncture wounds on his foot, each less than an inch long. Beach Patrol officials said the injury was "very minor" and that Milea refused transport to the hospital.

The size and type of shark were not reported.

According to Beach Patrol spokesman Scott Petersohn - most of Volusia County's shark bites occur at New Smyrna Beach. Its waters aren't known for the aggressive bull sharks like the Gulf of Mexico, Petersohn said. Most Volusia County victims are bitten by smaller, juvenile blacktip and spinner sharks that mistake hands and feet for bait fish.

Sources:
Orlando Sentinel

New hammerhead shark discovered

A new type of hammerhead shark has been discovered in the northwestern Atlantic Ocean, the BBC online quotes marine scientists as saying.

The shark resembles a common species called the scalloped hammerhead but has not yet been classified or named.

US researchers say the animal appears to be rare, breeding only in waters off the South Carolina coast.

They believe the shark is at risk of extinction and conservation efforts are needed to protect females when they are raising their pups.

More from BBC online…

INJURED - 31 May 2006 - Marijuanas, North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii - diver attacked

Ronald Deguilmo, 26, was free diving at the surf spot Marijuanas (near Chun’s Reef ) on the North Shore, Oahu, Hawaii when he was attacked and bitten on the left arm by a shark. The incident took place at about 1.30pm on Wednesday, 31 May 2006.

Deguilmo hit the shark with the butt of his speargun before it released its grip on his arm.

Two friends who were diving with him -- James Santiago, 24, and Tommy Miller, 29 -- came to his rescue after he surfaced shouting: “I got hit! I got bit by a shark!”

Santiago told media: "We started swimming toward him and tried not to panic."

He said Deguilmo’s arm looked “pretty bad. It was pretty bloody. It was deep.”

"He told us that he hit it when the shark was tugging at his arm," Santiago was quoted in the press as saying. "When he hit it, it let him go."

The two friends supported Deguilmo on the way back to shore keeping a lookout in case the shark returned, but they never saw it.

Deguilmo was taken to Wahiawa General Hospital and then transferred to St Francis Medical Center West.

According to his brother, Noel Deguilmo, doctors said he would recover but he might not have all the feeling in his fingers.

The size and type of shark was not established.

Sources: The Honolulu Advertiser

INJURED - 7 June 2006 - Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US - wader attacked

A 7-year-old girl was bitten on the left foot and buttocks while wading in two feet of water at Coligny Beach, Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, US. The incident took place on Wednesday afternoon, 7 June 2006.

Her father took her from the water to lifeguards on the beach who treated the lacerations on her foot.

Ralph Wagner, director of Shore Beach Service, told media the incident was low-key.

An ambulance was called and took the girl to Hilton Head Regional Medical Center, where she continued to receive treatment. The doctor treating the girl found a tooth embedded in her left foot. The injury was not life-threatening.

The name of the girl was not mentioned in media reports. The type and size of the shark was not established.

Sources:
The Beaufort Gazette

No need for paranoia

A documentary aired on National Geographic on 25 May stated that on average there are only 75 shark attacks a year and of those only 10 are fatal. There is no reason for shark attack paranoia. Even as a surfer, the most common victim of shark attacks around the world, your chances of being bitten are super slim, tho you’ve probably got less chance of winning the lottery.

There is a lot of hype surrounding shark attacks. They’re gory, bloody, sudden and unexpected. It’s the contrast of a wild, beastly attack on a person when they least expect it, when they are having fun in the sea. It always makes the news. And people love to read about them.

In the documentary “Naked Science - Shark Attack” the say that many attacks could be avoided if we had a better understanding of shark physiology and psychology. They say humans are not their preferred meal. mmmm that's food for thought for surfers!

INJURED - 21 May 2006 - Boa Viagem beach, Recife, Brazil - surfer attacked

Antonio Carvalho, 23, suffered injuries to his left calf and foot following a shark attack while surfing off Boa Viagem beach, Recife, Brazil. His life was not in danger, according to reports.

There was no mention of the type or size of the shark.

The report said shark attacks are common around Recife. According to media Carvalho was the 48th person to suffer a shark attack in Brazil’s Pernambuco state since 1992. Seventeen of those attacks were fatal.

Sources:
EITB 24

INJURED - 21 April 2006 - Sebastian Inlet, Florida, United States - surfer attacked

Surfer and author Davis Bunn was bitten on the feet while surfing at Sebastian Inlet, Florida, US on Saturday 21 April.

The brief report in Local 6 News said he received 100 stitches.

Bunn was quoted as saying: “Paddling out from a wave, I got hit from behind and never saw it. (There was) no warning, nothing."

No other details were available at the time of this blog.

Sources:
Local 6 News

INJURED - 11 April 2006 - Cowrie Hole, New South Wales, Australia - surfer attacked

Surfer Luke Egan, 15, was bitten on the left foot while paddling his board in white water at the Cowrie Hole surf spot near Newcastle in New South Wales, Australia at 1.30pm on 11 April.

His injuries were minor. Surgeons had to remove a tooth from his big toe.

The size and type of shark were not known.

Luke told the press from his hospital bed: "I could feel my foot inside its mouth, his whole mouth was around my foot, and I just knew it was some sort of shark.

“Then I hit it and it let go and I didn't see anything."

Luke paddled the 40 metres back to shore thinking the shark would return. He made it to shore and hailed a lifeguard who applied pressure bandages while they waited for an ambulance.

Source:
Sydney Morning Herald

INJURED - 3 April 2006 - Tigertail Beach, Marco Island, Florida, USA - swimmer attacked

An 11-year-old boy (name withheld) was bitten on the right hand and thigh after he reportedly dived into a school of fish at Tigertail Beach, Marco Island, Florida, on Monday 3 April.

He was being treated at Marco Urgent Care, according to media.

No other details were available at the time of publishing this blog.

Sources:
Naples News

INJURED - 23 March 2006 - Leftovers, Oahu, Hawaii, - surfer attacked

Liz Dunn, 28, suffered minor injuries after being bitten on the left calf while surfing at a spot called Leftovers, about one mile south of Waimea Bay on Oahu, Hawaii, around 11.40am on Thursday 23 March.

Done had caught a wave, which she described as one of the best in her life, a long ride which took her into the channel. The channel was muddy and murky because of run-off from recent heavy rains.

While paddling back out she felt a bump on her board. “I thought it was a rock or a turtle,” she said. Then she felt the bite on her calf.

"The bite was almost not the scariest part - it was seeing the fin," a jagged dorsal fin a foot and a half wide at its base, Dunn told media. "I knew it was a big, serious shark."

Dunn was visiting Hawaii from Vancouver, Canada.

Hawaii’s Star Bulletin quoted National Marine Fisheries Service biologist John Naughton as saying: "People are absolutely crazy to be surfing in these conditions."

"I'm almost surprised it hasn't happened earlier with all the debris and mud in the water.”

The gray shark kept circling her, with the large fin above, then below the water, and Dunn feared the worst.

"It felt like it took a taster bite," she said.

The bite left three puncture wounds near her shin. The largest was 2 1/2 inches wide and went to the bone.

Two local men with whom she was surfing heard her screams and rushed to her aid.

They pulled her to shore on her 7-foot board and later washed her wounds at a private home with soap and water, and wrapped it in paper towels and blue packing tape.

Dunn thinks her wet suit protected her leg and might have prevented a serious bite.

Her boyfriend, Chris Smith, drove her to Kahuku Hospital, where she received a tetanus shot and intravenous antibiotics and her leg was bandaged.

Sources:
Star Bulletin

INJURED - 18 March 2006 - Sigatoka River mouth, Fiji - surfer attacked

Surfer, Paul Chong Sue, 21, was bitten on the arm while padding out to catch a wave at Sigatoka River mouth, Fiji, at about 6pm local time on Saturday 18 March.

Fellow surfer, Ratu Naiqama told the Fiji Times: "The shark came from below his board and bit his right arm,

"It tried to pull him under but Paul fought back and managed to free his arm from the sharks grip."

After he freed his arm from the shark he called to the other surfers. There were around 15 surfers in the water at the time and they came to his aid.

There were about 15 of us out at sea with him. We all surrounded him and started making our way back to the beach,

"After the attack, the shark kept circling the area. Even though we thought that it was going to strike again, we did not pay much attention because we were rushing to get Paul onto the beach," Naiqama said.

An Australian nurse, who was also there to surf, was on the beach at the time and help treat the wound before Chong Sue was taken to Lautoka Hospital.

He was expected to make a full recovery.

Sources
Fiji Times

INJURED - 27 February 2006 - Big Beach, Maui, Hawaii - swimmer attacked

Nicolette Raleigh, 15, was bitten on the right calf in two foot of water by an eight-foot grey shark. She was standing in the water off Big Beach, Maui, Hawaii on 27 February with her boyfriend Shane Wilds. They were celebrating his 17th birthday. Shane was knocked down by the shark as it came in for the attack and latched on to Nicolette’s leg.

Media report that another friend, Jessy Larson, pulled her to safety and Nicolette was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center, where surgery was performed to fix a 10-inch long gash on her calf.

"I just started screaming. I was like, 'Get him off me.' Then I kicked him with my foot," Raleigh told reporters.

"Everything got pretty messed up. My muscles are all torn and everything, but I got really lucky, because the only thing that happened was I'm missing part of my nerve."

She said: "We kind of joked about it 15 minutes before [going in the water], like, 'Don't get bitten by a shark!' And we're like, 'Yeah, yeah.' "

"And then, lucky me!"

Sources:
CBS News

Shark Attacks Down in 2005 but Up Over Long Term

Worldwide shark-attack numbers fell in 2005 for the fifth year in a row.

Last year 58 confirmed "unprovoked" shark attacks occurred in natural ocean habitat, according to a report from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), an organization based at the University of Florida in Gainesville.

That's down from 78 in 2000 and 65 in 2004.

Incidents in which the animals are provoked—such as during shark-feeding operations, in aquariums, or when fishers try to remove sharks from a net—aren't counted in ISAF's annual survey.

Four people were killed in unprovoked attacks last year, down from seven in 2004 and a bit below the 2001-to-2005 five-year average of 4.4 per year.

Last year's deaths included two in Australian waters, one in Florida, and one from the South Pacific island of Vanuatu.

Shark-attack fatality rates continue to drop decade by decade as improving medical treatments help boost the odds of survival in the rare event of an attack.

More from National Geographic...

ALL SHARK ATTACKS since 1880

The Global Shark Attack File has an Excel sheet listing all shark attacks on record starting around 1883. A fascinating record. A bit sketchy in the early days, but now full of all reported incidents. Most attacks appear to take place in USA, Australia and South Africa.

Download here -- 1.5MB file.
http://www.sharkattackfile.net/GSAF5.xls

Unprovoked Incidents = Tan
• Provoked Incidents = Orange
• Attacks on Boats = Green
• Air / Sea Disasters = Yellow
• Questionable Incidents = Blue

The Global Shark Attack File

INJURED - 13 February 2006 - Golden Beach, Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia - swimmer attacked

Early newspaper reports in Australia say:

A shark has bitten an 18-year-old man in shallow water on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Fisheries Minister Tim Mulherin said the man was wading in 30cm of water at Golden Beach at Caloundra on the morning of 13 February when he was bitten.

The wound required 11 stitches, Mulherin said.

More details are expected later.

Sources:
The Courier Mail

INJURED - 8 February 2006 - Nahoon Beach, East London, South Africa - surfer attacked

Fifteen-year-old Jason Noades was bitten on the right calf while surfing at Nahoon Beach, East London, South Africa on Wednesday afternoon, 8 February 2006.

He escaped the shark's jaws by kicking it with his left foot.

He told the Daily Dispatch newspaper: “I was surfing when I fell and the wave took me down. I felt something grab me on my right leg.

"Then I saw the fin, which was about 15 centimetres long, as the shark was taking me."

Noades said he kicked out with his other leg and then "I paddled faster...without even looking back."

Noades suffered two minor wounds to his right calf. He wetsuit also bore puncture marks where the shark bit his leg.

There were seven other surfers in the vicinity at the time of the attack according to Jason.

The newspaper said that experts were yet to determine the size and species of the shark.

Sources: Daily Dispatch

Scientists trace origin of shark's electric sense

Sharks are known for their almost uncanny ability to detect electrical signals while hunting and navigating.
Now researchers have traced the origin of those electrosensory powers to the same type of embryonic cells that gives rise to many head and facial features in humans.
The discovery, reported by University of Florida scientists in the current edition of Evolution & Development, identifies neural crest cells, which are common in vertebrate development, as a source of sharks’ electrical ESP.
It also fortifies the idea that before our early ancestors emerged from the sea, they too had the ability to detect electric fields.
“Sharks have a network of electrosensory cells that allows them to hunt by detecting electrical signals generated by prey,” said Martin Cohn, a developmental biologist with the departments of zoology and anatomy and cell biology and the UF Genetics Institute. “That doesn’t mean they can only detect electric fish. They can sense electricity generated by a muscle twitch, even if it’s the weak signal of a flounder buried under sand.”
Likewise, sharks are widely thought to use the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation, enabling them to swim in precise paths across large expanses of featureless ocean, Cohn said.

More from the University of Florida...

FATAL - 1 February 2006 - Neiafu jetty, Vava’u island, Tonga - swimmer attacked

Tessa Horan, 24, from New Mexico, was killed by a shark after it tore off her leg while she was swimming near Neiafu jetty, Vava’u island, Tonga at 6pm local time on 1 February 2006.

According to Pacific magazine she had recently arrived on the island on 18 January to work as a volunteer for the US Peace Corps.

“She was believed to have joined village youth in games of netball and soccer before a swim in the harbour.

“A Tongan youth that accompanied Ms Horan for a swim said she was pulled underwater and attacked by the shark,” the magazine reported.

Details of the size and species of the shark were not mentioned in the report.

Sources:
Pacific magazine

KNITTED - the art of a shark attack

How's this for gory knitting!

More here....

FRIGHTENED - Atlantic Ocean - 29 January 2006 - rowers' boat attacked

IC Wales reports:

LIKE something out of Jaws" - Welsh ocean rower Andrew Barnett describes the terrifying moment when, hungry and exhausted, he became the target of a frenzied shark attack in the middle of the Atlantic.

Tossed about on the rough sea like "clothes in a washing machine", the 46-year-old Monmouth adventurer hid helplessly in the cramped cabin of his tiny two-man boat as the 12ft predator repeatedly rammed it in a bid to sink him and his crewmate.

"We'd watched it circle us for a long time," said the seasoned rower, whose boat MayaBrit was approaching the final stretch of the Woodvale Challenge - a gruelling 2,950-mile, non-stop trans-Atlantic race.

"Then suddenly it came swimming right at us at a rate of knots, repeatedly hammering itself into us and all we could do was just pray the hull would hold," added Andrew, who, along with Guatemalan oarsman Juan Carlos Sagastume, had already braved torrential tropical storms, food poisoning, sleep deprivation and broken ribs on their epic voyage.

Each time the shark battered their fragile 22ft vessel, it brought a huge, ominous-sounding crack and, with huge swells lashing the sides, the final finishing line 300 miles away in Antigua seemed to grow ever more distant.

"We were terrified, particularly as five other boats in the challenge have capsized or sunk in the last two weeks," said the medical rep and dad-of-two via satellite phone.

"My biggest fear was that the shark would come over the side and capsize us.

"If we'd have gone in to the water there's no way we have stood a chance with that thing."

More...

INJURED - Hole in the wall, Wild Coast, South Africa - 25 January 2006 - spearfisherman attacked

Michael Vriese, 35, was attacked by a shark while spearfishing near Hole in the Wall, Wild Coast, South Africa on 25 January.

While he was pulling in a fish he had speared, the shark (size and species not mentioned) attacked the dead fish and in the process mauled his right arm severing two arteries and damaging muscles and nerves on his wrist and forearm.

"By the time I had swum back to the beach, I was getting pretty weak and my friends had to support me by both shoulders to get me to a car," Vriese told media.

Vriese said “there was blood everywhere. I don't know how much I lost, but I'm told that I got a transfusion of at least four units in Durban.”

His diving companion Neil Abel drove him to a clinic near Hole in the Wall and they told him to rush for Mthatha.

Vriese was stabilised at Mthatha hospital before being airlifted to Durban where he underwent further surgery to repair the damaged arteries and tendons.

"I could have ended up dead," Vriese told media. "I'm lucky that Neil and I both know a bit about first aid and I was able to stop some of the blood loss myself by tying a tourniquet around my arm, and loosening it every few minutes to allow some blood to get through."

Sources:
The Herald
IOL

FRIGHTENED...

This pic taken in False Bay, Cape Town has been doing the rounds on email. I wonder if it's been doctored? Tho there are sharks that size and bigger in the Bay. A famous one about 7 metres long fishermen fondly refered to as the "Sub" back in the shark hunting days (Great Whites are now protected in South African waters) when it surfaced next to their fishing boats and was longer than them.

DESCRIBED - Perth diver describes how he hid after shark attack

Bernie Williams, the scuba diver attacked by a shark in Perth on Sunday 15 January, tells The Sydney Morning Herald about the attack and how he hid in a crevice to escape the shark when it returned to attack him a second time.

A scuba diver injured in a shark attack off Perth says he wrenched his bleeding arm from the predator's jaws and hid in a crevice on the ocean floor until he was rescued.

Despite his brush with a 3.5m white pointer (or Great White) yesterday (Sunday 15 January) Bernie Williams, of the northern Perth beachside suburb of Sorrento, vowed today to continue diving - with a shark repellant.

He believes it was the arrival of a diving companion with a shark repellant (shark pod) that chased away the great white.

More...

INJURED - 15 January 2006 - City Beach, Perth, Australia - diver attacked

Brian Williams, 52, was bitten on the left arm by a 3.5 metre Great White shark while diving with friends off City Beach, Perth, Australia. The attack took place at 11am local time. Williams fought off the attack by hitting the shark with a speargun.

Police inspector George Putland told media: "He was believed to be away from the other divers at the time of the attack and the shark attacked from behind, grabbing and biting his arm. He hit out at the shark with his spear gun and eventually the shark swam away."

Williams was taken to a Perth hospital where his wounds were treated. The full extent of his wounds was unclear from initial reports.

Sources:
The Australian
News24

FATAL – 7 January 2006 - Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia – swimmer attacked

Sarah Whiley, 21, was attacked by three bull sharks while swimming with friends at Amity Point, North Stradbroke Island, Queensland, Australia. The sharks struck the victim at about 5.30pm local time.

Within seconds they had torn off both the woman's arms and savagely mauled her torso and legs.Two fishermen were the first to react, dragging her out of the water onto the beach.Frantic bystanders scrambled for towels to stem the bleeding before a helicopter rushed the stricken woman to Brisbane's Princess Alexandra Hospital where she died of shock and massive blood loss, The Australian reported.

Inspector Peter Harding told media Whiley had been swimming with three friends from a church group when she was attacked.

"She went down under the water ... after about five or six seconds the deceased came out of the water and screamed `Shark' and of course people at the time thought she was only joking ... until they saw the blood.

"She was bleeding quite heavily – I'm of the opinion of what I've seen and what I've been told, there was more than one shark involved, there could have been up to three," he said.

The Australian quoted Insp Harding as saying that after Friday night's storm – the water was very murky and dirty, in fact so much so one of the locals of there wouldn't go in and dive.

He added that the woman was swimming in water "anything from chest-deep to 30 feet".

Sources:
The Australian
The Mercury

INJURED – 1 January 2006 – Soetwater, Cape Peninsula, South Africa – free diver attacked

John Williams, 49, was bitten on his little finger by a 1.5 metre shark while free diving for crayfish 250 metres offshore of Soetwater near Kommetjie on the Cape Peninsula, South Africa. The attack took place on New Year’s Day 2006.

He told rescue workers he was holding a crayfish when the shark lunged at him, biting him on the little finger. He managed to swim ashore.

He was admitted to False Bay Hospital and received stitches.

Source:
Cape Argus

INJURED - 24 December 2005 - Tillamook Head, Oregon, United States - surfer attacked

Brian Anderson, 36, was bitten on the ankle and calf while surfing at a popular surfing spot near Tillamook Head, south of the community of Seaside, about 80 miles northwest of Portland, Oregon, United States.

He said he fended off a Great White shark by punching it in the nose.

He told media: "It's like your worst nightmare, an adventure which has made life that much more precious and interesting.

"It felt like getting clamped in a bear trap," he said. "It was a piercing pain and then it went numb."

When the shark grabbed hold of he is leg he repeatedly punched it on the nose until it finally let go. He paddled back to shore and pulled himself up on to the rocks. Other surfers called 911. He was admitted to Providence Seaside Hospital, treated and released later that night.

Source:
Seattle Post-Intelligencer

INJURED - 22 ? December 2005 - Keawakapu Beach, Maui, Hawaii - swimmer attacked

Jonathan Genant, 29, from Seattle, lost his left little finger and part of his ring finger when the shark bit into his hand while he was swimming at Keawakapu Beach, Maui, Hawaii.

Reports of the date of the attack are vague. A report on Wednesday 28 December 2005 claimed the attack happened “last week” putting it anywhere between the 18th and 25th.

Reports did not mention the type of shark responsible for the attack.

Genant told media: “You're in a panic mode. You're thinking, 'God -- OK, I'm bleeding all over the place,' and you just don't know if you're going to be hit again, you're so vulnerable. But if he hit me again, that would have been it. After about 20 seconds or so, I realised I've got a shot here to get back."

Genant said he gripped the wrist of his injured arm to slow the blood loss, flipped on his back and began to swim. But without the use of his arms, he said he could only drift.

When he realised that the shark could come back he began to yell for help.

Hal Bringeland, from Surrey, who was boogie boarding on Keawakapu Beach at the time went to the rescue when he heard the shouting.

He told media: "You know it's hard to tell exactly what was going on. It looked like he was holding up a red snorkel.

"So I piled into the water and you know we were probably two thirds of the way out there, and then we could see this wasn't just a snorkel, and he confirmed it when we got there.

"He said that he had been bit by a shark. So we made it our priority to get out of the water."

Bringeland and the other rescuer helped Genant out of the water. He was taken to hospital for surgery.

Sources:
MSNBC
CBC California

New shark species found in Gulf of California

Practical Fishing magazine reports that

"Ichthyologists have described a new species of shark from the Gulf of California.

The new shark is a member of the Smoothhound shark group and has been named Mustelus hacat by a team of Mexican scientists who have recently reported their findings in the ichthyological journal Copeia."

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