Shark Stories

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yorkessurfer started the topic in Monday, 29 Oct 2012 at 12:11am

A few interesting stories on shark attacks and near misses on the Shark Shield report so I thought I would start this thread. Don't want to trivialize the subject as people have had their lives taken or changed forever by what can happen. I thought it might serve as an educational purpose by hearing others experiences so we may all learn from them and hopefully avoid it happening to us.

One of them was a mate of mine named Hazey.
He had been surfing at Castles, a notoriously sharky wave in the bay at Cactus.
Several hundred metres offshore the wave breaks before reforming into Inside Castles making a long left with several sections. The wave has been the scene of several attacks and near misses over the years including the local known as "Sharkbait" who had been attacked more than once.
Gerry Lopez is another who came very close to being attacked out there and vowed to never surf Cactus again after his near miss.
Well Hazey was surfing out the back with another bloke named Steve when out of the blue he was launched into the air still on his board by a huge force from below.
A shark had rammed him with a direct hit straight up into the air! In a moment it was gone but soon returned to the stunned Hazey and started biting him and his board. Hazey instinctively put his arms out to protect himself but both his arms ended up in its mouth. As the jaws closed down his arms could have easily been severed, but several teeth on the sharks lower jaw had become dislodged and imbedded in the board leaving his upper arms with massive injuries, but the vital inner arms where major arteries run were not majorly damaged. This probably saved his life.
By this time Steve had reacted and in a rush of adrenalin and pure ballsy courage he threw himself onto the sharks back and started gouging at the sharks eyeballs, eventually feeling one pop and the shark departed.
Steve got the two surfboards together and got himself and Hazey on and started the long paddle to shore.
Then they were both thrown into the air as the shark rammed them a third time before disappearing again. They continued to make their way closer to shore and the shark nudged them again. Steve told me he thought he really must of pissed it off when he popped its eye.
Finally they we're just a metre from shore when the shark made its fifth and final appearance. It beelined towards them and the shore while they stood in waist deep water with their boards. The sharks mouth was just rapidly opening and closing like one of those wind up sets of false teeth. The boys separated and put their hands on either side of it's body and held it on a 90 degree angle to the beach as they made the final steps to the safety of the sand.
Hazey was rushed to Ceduna hospital and then flown to Adelaide for micro surgery on his shredded arms.
Steve ended up receiving a bravery award and they both sold their story to 60 minutes and made $50,000 each out of it!
It was quite a story!

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Craig Monday, 5 Jul 2021 at 6:56pm

Jeezus, that's a huge shark. Hope he/she's OK.

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Blowin Monday, 5 Jul 2021 at 6:59pm

Looks like a bite from a pointer exactly where his left shoulder would have been as he paddled. He will be lucky not to lose an arm. . Christ, imagine the view he would’ve had when the beast’s head came up next to him like that. Terrifying.

Hope he’s doing alright. Stay strong mate!

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udo Monday, 5 Jul 2021 at 7:00pm

Lucky chap ..agree juvy pointer for sure.

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simba Monday, 5 Jul 2021 at 7:14pm

probably shoulda had the 'spirit eyes 'on the bottom

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udo Saturday, 10 Jul 2021 at 1:02pm
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simba Saturday, 10 Jul 2021 at 6:03pm

wonder what ol mate is thinking at this point in time

https://www.facebook.com/surfingJournal/videos/512542333326704/

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Craig Friday, 16 Jul 2021 at 9:35am

Jeezus, off Bellambi, how wide and big is that bite!

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groundswell Sunday, 18 Jul 2021 at 1:02pm

That is why even when i lived a 20 minute bike ride away i never surfed the V#$%^&
Almost as good as the island though..maybe even better even.But some very large whites hang out in those waters. Probably the coal coasts best reef break.
Some of those fickle beachbreaks to the south are always empty even on the really really good days.but there are way more shit days than good days.

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:05pm

Shark Attack WA....any info or news lads?

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:27pm
megzee wrote:

Shark Attack WA....any info or news lads?

Today.....Just heard it on the Aussie news that I tune into...

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Supafreak Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:31pm

@megzee , this is all I could find so far . https://thewest.com.au/news/sharks/three-metre-great-white-shark-knocks-... On a different note , a mate pulled up at the bluff yesterday and only available campsite was 2klm walk to the bluff , he turned around and headed north. Gnarloo booked for next 2 years, so he was told .

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Supafreak Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:32pm

There ya go udo on too it

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:36pm

Cheers Supafreak..... the attack report just came up on the hourly news today....Pretty sure news will surface soon...
Yeah mate, the days of pulling up and driving in tent pegs at your chosen Bluff spot, or cave dwelling are long gone mate....Not sure how Gnarloo could be booked out.....It's a 200,000 hectare station?
Mooring a nice 50ft yacht in the bay might be the next option Super..

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Blowin Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:42pm

“On a different note , a mate pulled up at the bluff yesterday and only available campsite was 2klm walk to the bluff , he turned around and headed north. Gnarloo booked for next 2 years, so he was told .”

Cooked Covid style.

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Supafreak Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:52pm

@megzee , Me mate was up there in May and only 25-30 guys, got a massive swell broke 3 boards then went back to sea as a I.R . Seaman . Said probably 100 + now . He’s actually just brought a 43’ cat , so some indo adventures in next few years.

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:55pm
Blowin wrote:

“On a different note , a mate pulled up at the bluff yesterday and only available campsite was 2klm walk to the bluff , he turned around and headed north. Gnarloo booked for next 2 years, so he was told .”

Cooked Covid style.

Over cooked Blowin.....Like the camp oven that sat for a couple of hours tooooo long...

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 3:59pm
Supafreak wrote:

@megzee , Me mate was up there in May and only 25-30 guys, got a massive swell broke 3 boards then went back to sea as a I.R . Seaman . Said probably 100 + now . He’s actually just brought a 43’ cat , so some indo adventures in next few years.

Good on him SF.....The way go.....Plus three broken boards at ultra large Bluff or Gnaraloo are trophy's to be treasured....

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 4:17pm

https://www.news.com.au/technology/science/animals/authorities-probe-rep...
Here ya go......
Hang on, hang on.....I thought we weren't supposed to name it that anymore???

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tubeshooter Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 4:37pm

The news seems to be he was 'attacked' by a lemon shark while on a fishing charter.
Now if they landed the shark while fishing and it bit old mate then I'm pretty ok with not calling that one an 'attack'.
I don't think MSM got the memo from the scientists about selling fear and the new PR campaign.

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 4:46pm

Cheers Tubeshooter,
The words "Lemon Shark" and "attack" don't really seem to go hand in hand do they...?
If I was him, I wouldn't tell my mates......
Unless of course it was a "Great Yellow Lemon Shark"

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tubeshooter Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 5:10pm

Haha yep Megzee , they are a very shy , placid shark . But they don't like being messed with , I've heard some stories about how nasty they can be on deck when caught in trawl gear or when divers poke or provoke them.
They walk quietly but carry a big stick .
Not quite as bad as the shark attack story I read about that turned out to be a kid getting his thumb bitten while feeding a baby wobbegong at an aquarium .
I can't see news sites changing anytime soon.

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megzee Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 5:23pm

Yeah TS,
If he's landed it, dragged it on board, and got bitten while waiting for the poor old decky to de-hook it, it should be called " a serve yourself f...n right " ....
Those wobbies can be a nasty piece of work for sure........one latched on to my mates arm while he was poking around under a ledge for crays a few years ago and it took half an hour for the savage beast to let go..........surprisingly cooked up ok though......

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tubeshooter Wednesday, 28 Jul 2021 at 6:39pm

This bloke would confirm that wobbies can overstep their place in the food chain occasionally .
https://www.trackingsharks.com/australian-surfer-bitten-wobbegong-shark/
At least there's no mention of any 'attack' in this one.
I hear they're bastards to skin.

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udo Saturday, 31 Jul 2021 at 8:27am
tubeshooter wrote:

The news seems to be he was 'attacked' by a lemon shark while on a fishing charter.
Now if they landed the shark while fishing and it bit old mate then I'm pretty ok with not calling that one an 'attack'.
I don't think MSM got the memo from the scientists about selling fear and the new PR campaign.

https://au.news.yahoo.com/wa-shark-attack-victim-shark-rider-jumped-hamm...

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simba Saturday, 31 Jul 2021 at 10:21am

sounds like he got what he deserved...dickhead

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tubeshooter Saturday, 31 Jul 2021 at 3:57pm

Wow .. What a knuckle head. I can't believe he jumped from the boat onto its back like it was a rodeo. He's damn lucky to be alive.
And it turns out he was the skipper and is under investigation by both fisheries and maritime.
I hope they throw the book at him . That was an extremely irresponsible , unprofessional thing to do for everyone concerned and especially given the distance from help.
Unfuckenbelievable

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Craig Saturday, 31 Jul 2021 at 4:18pm

Total wanker, deserved every bit of it.

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megzee Saturday, 31 Jul 2021 at 5:20pm

"I was a bit of an idiot [1] but I’ve worked with sharks [2] for a long time [3]and I understand them [4] and how they go [5]," he told media. [6]" [ his girlfriend]

How can one "boy-man" make so many understatements in one sentence? I count 6.......
In my day we called blokes like him......."super decky's".....even if he was the skipper.....which is no claim to fame anyway.....
Pretty well called it Craig.......but I would add another "Total"......if I may please

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tubeshooter Saturday, 31 Jul 2021 at 8:55pm

haha yeah the idiot part was the closest he came to something factual .
" I understand them and how they go." ...Really?

2014........ 'The 25 year old skipper claims to have ridden 6 to 7 sharks in the past ,,..
"The sharks get a bit of a fright for a second but that's it". ..He says
The article goes on to say,,
'He now has his sights on a tiger shark and if he really gets his confidence he may even try a Great White Shark'
And then what I believe is a somewhat of a disclaimer ,
'Generally speaking jumping on the back of a shark is a very bad idea and although most sharks aren't man eaters, they can still cause massive injuries'...
https://www.trackingsharks.com/guy-tries-ride-hammerhead-shark/

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nomad1 Monday, 2 Aug 2021 at 7:27pm

"100km north of Exmouth in Austria."

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bluediamond Wednesday, 4 Aug 2021 at 5:14pm

Maybe don't listen if you have a bad shark phobia. Won't help with your next surf that's for sure.
Pretty hectic tale from a couple of classic WA lads, one of whom survived an attack over here a month or so ago.
https://thegrinreapers.libsyn.com/the-grin-reapers-159-brodie-and-alex-s...
There's a pic of his mangled leg on the Grinreapers insta if you wanna see the gory bits.

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WarriSymbol Thursday, 5 Aug 2021 at 10:06pm

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Blowin Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 3:37am

In the Twitter clip above it looks to me like a hammerhead chasing a little shark or fish which takes shelter behind the fella walking. You can see the little shark shoot towards the man and when the hammerhead peels away you can see the little shark shoot straight towards the shallow water of the shore. It disappears below that bit of whitewash.

The hammerhead was never going near that bloke. It saw him and shit itself

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frog Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 7:58am
bluediamond wrote:

Maybe don't listen if you have a bad shark phobia. Won't help with your next surf that's for sure.
Pretty hectic tale from a couple of classic WA lads, one of whom survived an attack over here a month or so ago.
https://thegrinreapers.libsyn.com/the-grin-reapers-159-brodie-and-alex-s...
There's a pic of his mangled leg on the Grinreapers insta if you wanna see the gory bits.

Worth a listen.

Surfers take risks but often the beaches and reefs we surf are pretty barren as far as food sources for big sharks. Quite often we are sort of quiet and our movements are mixed in with a lot of background surf noise. That is unless you surf with a kicker who thrashes the surface every take off - they should be banned - I am sure that is what drew in a shark to my surf a while ago (headed straight at us with purpose in a big wide ocean).

In contrast, these guys were spearfishing off a deep drop off, well offshore, with heaps of fish life. They had the boat which creates noise motoring in, dropping an anchor and provides a big silhouette to catch a cruising shark's eye, They speared a good size fish ten minutes prior - noise, thrashing, some blood in the water. Maybe they had air tanks (assume so) which creates regulator noise.

That is a lot of factors to bring in any big GW within a few kilometres for a look see and then to get them a little excited.

A quiet little surf might get a cruise by from a shark in a low stimulation state of mind through pure chance. But spear fishing off a boat in WA would seem high probability of something coming in to look feeling edgy and hungry.

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Blowin Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 8:02am

The mid coast of WA feels damn sharky to me. It might sound strange but it feels even more threatening than the South, SW or NW coasts. Diving offshore anywhere around there…..not these days, thanks.

Re the podcast, the crew interviewed sound like nice guys but their continued use of “like” makes it almost unlistenable. No offence intended if they read this but it really makes the person sound retarded. Have a listen and tell me I’m wrong. It’s an American thing which has unfortunately spread to (mostly) young Aussies. Caroline Marks may be the smartest, best person in the world but she sounds like she’s got an IQ of 30 when she talks.

“And , like, I really, like , caught a wave and, like, did a like turn and , like, it felt so , like, rad ..Like like like like like “

But yeah…..hell story gents.

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velocityjohnno Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 2:44pm

Did a lot of surfing alone on the Midwest coast WA in the 1990s. Yep it felt lonely at times. A couple of times I saw sharks heading up and down the coast somewhat further out. And knew crayfishermen so heard their tales of what was further out.

Some of the setups are considerable paddles out, too.

Diving out on the islands sounds nuts, but crew do it.

Edit: it's not like, too sharky Blowin. I reckon that the SW is like way way like scarier.

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velocityjohnno Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 2:46pm

One of the first WA shark stories I read was Bob Bartle lost off Jurien in 1967, bitten clean in half off one of those outer reefs

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Blowin Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 2:53pm

I surfed and dived the Abrolhos years ago without any worries but those near shore coastal waters look freaky. Not sure why. I used to dive on the hookah for hours around the SW - Offshore Hamelin, bobs hollow etc. It was unbelievable. I doubt I’d have been keen to do the same off Leeman or Dongara . Weird vibe.

I think I remember that Bob Bartle attack. What about the old photos of Henri Bourse(?) on the deck of the boat with his lower leg missing and the horrific shock on his face. Hardcore.

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Hutchy 19 Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 2:55pm

When surfing at New Brighton NSW in the early 70's we would NEVER see any whales . Maybe the old whales guided the others to take a wide birth around Cape Byron due to the whaling station there .

Now you can see hundreds of whales in one day often very close to shore . One of natures most impressive sights is seeing them breach .
How this affects shark numbers I am not sure but would guess it leads to more .

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freeride76 Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 2:58pm

there was a juvenile humpback literally in the lineup yesterday arvo.

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Craig Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 3:04pm

Interesting a few are already heading back south this way and very close inshore, ie 10's of meters from the cliffs.

I thought they usually hang out in the EAC heading back south..

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udo Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 3:11pm
velocityjohnno wrote:

One of the first WA shark stories I read was Bob Bartle lost off Jurien in 1967, bitten clean in half off one of those outer reefs

https://www.sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1967.08.19-Ba...
Horrific

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goofyfoot Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 3:32pm
udo wrote:
velocityjohnno wrote:

One of the first WA shark stories I read was Bob Bartle lost off Jurien in 1967, bitten clean in half off one of those outer reefs

https://www.sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1967.08.19-Ba...
Horrific

Fucken hell!!!

Just read the details. Imagine seeing that shit

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udo Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 3:37pm

Brazier at Abrolhos much the same .

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bluediamond Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 4:59pm

Who could forget this tank at Coronation....

Have seen a hefty one swim close by at Bowes.
Still think the coast East of Albany all the way out past Esperance is hands down the sketchiest.

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seaslug Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 6:11pm

Yeah they like doing drive bys at Bowes BD and I agree with you re south coast

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wax24 Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 6:18pm

Blowin- Like, it is totally, like, unfair for you to, like, say that, like, it's us, like, seppos that are, like, dumbing down the language, like, around the world.
(lol)

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I focus Friday, 6 Aug 2021 at 6:19pm
velocityjohnno wrote:

One of the first WA shark stories I read was Bob Bartle lost off Jurien in 1967, bitten clean in half off one of those outer reefs

Same Same VJ

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groundswell Sunday, 8 Aug 2021 at 7:33am

I heard there was one in Lancelin where a guy fell off a boat or capsized the boat and his family were in a helicopter flying above and the kid started swimming for an island but in the chopper they could see a massive white pointer chasing after the kid swimming.Got him too but the locals all wanted it kept quiet My old boss told me that story and he has family in Lancelin so he wouldnt make it up..May have been in Jurien bay not sure it was 8 years ago i heard it.