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
Monday, December 25, 2006
Monday, December 18, 2006
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
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
Monday, December 11, 2006
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
"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
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
Sunday, December 10, 2006
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
Monday, December 04, 2006
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
Sunday, December 03, 2006
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
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
Thursday, November 23, 2006
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:
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
Monday, November 13, 2006
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
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
Sunday, November 12, 2006
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
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
Sunday, October 15, 2006
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
“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
Wednesday, October 11, 2006
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
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
Sunday, October 08, 2006
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
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
Sunday, October 01, 2006
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
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
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
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
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
Monday, September 18, 2006
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
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
Wednesday, September 06, 2006
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.
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
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
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
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
Thursday, August 31, 2006
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
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
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