Shark Stories
I paddled out at Waddy point on Fraser a few years ago alone. Right on sunset, side-shore, murky water, bait fish popping everywhere. I caught a shitty little wave paddled back out and sat. Just kinda taking in the sunset and emptiness, just my car alone on the sand and then this bone chilling shiver went through me, I can't describe it. Probably be silly to be out there to begin with but every fibre of my being said get the blazes out of there and fast.
I paddled in and belly rode a little wave into the shore.
I walked up to the car, dried off and drank a beer. Didn't see anything but knew somehow that at that moment I was on borrowed time.
I've had a couple of encounters in my surfing life but not seeing anything was the one that scared me the most and probably the only time i've ever paddled in.
Can relate to that and thats why we a have a sixth sense,gotta listen to your gut feeling...waddy point on sunset in murky water..mmmmm
Fr forgot to ask you could you see if it had reciever on it from tagging,thought maybe you could see it in clear water?
no tag that I could see and it didn't set off the Lennox receiver which is less than 500m from where I saw it.
untagged.
Heard a recap of this on the radio today.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/rural/2019-06-07/abalone-diver-encounter-wit...
Worth a re-read.
at least 12 years ago freeride
in more recent times I think I would have paddled in
Another juvenile mutt sizing up a grommet in tuncurry..
Even with the clarity of the water and how close it gets it appears they don't spot it
&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR01UAxhuhOApya4zwNKdJTA2l0g6K2D0GF0440RObjyRwAD5HDws4cSFn8 because with winter morning sun that shark was very well hidden from view the whole time by the glare field......amazing how close they can get.
I watched a big white swim right up the line-up at the Point a few years ago, swam within 10 feet of about 30 people and no-one saw it because anyone facing that way would have only seen glare.
Only reason I saw mine so clearly was that I was surfing a point and it came south to north so I had the winter sun behind me = perfect view.
If it came the other way I would not have seen it.
Don’t think that predators approaching with the sun behind them is coincidence. It’s not.
Watch a hawk fluttering above a field for one example.
I've always followed that advice ever since I read that article of Greenough's in SW a few years ago, running through 6 of his most memorable shark encounters on the mid north coast. He talks about engaging with a shark at Wategoes that repeatedly tried to move into the glare of the sun, and would retreat every time he spun to face it. Whenever I am out surfing I will always sporadically turn to face the glare of the sun, and if it's a sharky spot I pretty much always face that way.
all those encounters were Lennox-Byron
[NEWS] ...Manly... [BEACH CLOSED] Tuesday(am) 2nd July 2019
Shark bites swimmer's torso/abdomen/back/leg.
Man in his 50's in swimming group at Shelly Beach around dawn (6:am)
The swimmer climbed onto rocks then transferred to hospital in stable condition.
Peter Schultz (Channel Swimmer) in Bold & the Beautiful swim club at the time .
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-02/manly-shark-attack-leaves-deep-ga...
Pommy got touched up by a wobbegong.
Mighty decent of you Blowin, to lay blame on out of control docile bottom feeders.
[news] Grey Nurse Crime Gangs encircle up market Sydney Seafood Chain.
It is an offence to harass or threaten generally harmless Grey Nurse Gang members.
https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/manly-beach-closed-after-man-reports...
Note: Manly still rev up Air Raid Shark Siren but Signpost "Yellow"[Enter at Risk]
Media typically frame usual shot of a surfer ignoring Waring sign (Money 4 Jam)
https://1v1d1e1lmiki1lgcvx32p49h8fe-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/u...
Qld fart megaphone static but Signpost "Red/Black on White"[BEACH CLOSED]
Qld Govt Regulatory (Ghostbuster) Signs are enforceable & carry fines.
Peter did well to climb up onto rocks, sounds pretty gnarly...crew sends best wishes.
TBB - Grey nurses out of control.
Maybe have to coax Valerie Taylor out of retirement to cull the few that she missed before becoming the loudest voice for protecting them from the destructive threat of.....Valerie Taylor.
I was crowd dodging this morning so I paddled out on a beach break where two others were surfing...... and they immediately went in. Surfed by myself for an hour until what I'm guessing was a bull shark surfaced a
4-5m away. Paddled, pretty briskly, onto the bank and caught one in.
Rope off swim lessons & teach Oz kids how to race over water & backpedal to shore.
tbb's Ultra Rare 'Whale sized Sharky' Weekend Edition
Spate of 12 shark attacks in a year is no doubt rare & troubling for Qld Govt.
2019 hat trick of rare Whale Shark sightings from top end to bottom of the Qld.
Such engagement warrants a salute to our majestic creatures of the deep.
{swellnet exclusive unveils the rare majestic sea creatures we rarely encounter}
2019 - Qld Whale Shark sightings.
Aug 17 2019 -Port Douglas
https://www.facebook.com/TheCairnsPost/videos/passengers-of-a-port-dougl...
Sept 3 2019 Weipa
https://www.ntnews.com.au/news/national/whale-shark-in-weipa-mangroves/v...
Oct 24 2019 Surfers Paradise -pup
https://www.facebook.com/9NewsGoldCoast/videos/rare-whale-shark-sighting...
Dec 6, 2019 GBR studies into Whale Shark numbers + New GBR tracking site
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-06/whale-sharks-in-great-barrier-ree...
https://citizensgbr.org/explore/reef-tracks/biopixel-gbr1
Qld Review (Mapping)
https://biopixeloceans.org/far-northern-gbr-whale-shark-expedition/
Feb 5, 2020 Fraser Island (8m)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-05/whale-shark-spotted-off-fraser-is...
Feb 29, 2020 Coffs Coast (NSW)
http://www.redmap.org.au/sightings/3685/
April 18, 2020 Nth Straddie
https://www.facebook.com/9NewsQueensland/videos/2591840554476492/
May 21, 2020 Moreton Island (Amongst Pilchard Bait Ball)
https://www.9news.com.au/national/moreton-island-shark-feeding-frenzy-st...
Sept 23, 2020 Cairns
https://tourism.tropicalnorthqueensland.org.au/articles/dive-into-summer...
Jan 7, 2021 Lady Musgrave Island
https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSSC/videos/whale-shark-encounter-off-lady-m...
Jan 27,2021 Noosa (Whale shark Rescue)
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9191475/Brave-surfers-rescue-wh...
2000's- Qld Whale Shark Archives:
Jan 2008 Moreton Bay - pup
http://statements.qld.gov.au/Statement/Id/56302
June 2015 Townsville (School sighting)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-06-23/whale-shark-sightings-cause-frenz...
Summer of 2016 Port Douglas
https://www.thalabeach.com.au/whale-sharks-great-barrier-reef/
Nov 2017 Townsville Qld NP ranger swims with Whale Shark
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/national/whale-shark-casually-swims-...
Jan 2018 Pt Cartright ,Mooloolaba -pup
https://www.couriermail.com.au/news/queensland/whale-shark-spotted-swimm...
Protection (Vulnerable) Mostly guidelines tips + management.
https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2005L02834
.......................................................................................................
Almost as rare are as these sharks are Orca.
2000's- Qld Killer Whales sightings
July 2005 Mermaid Beach / The Spit (same)
July 2013 Fraser Island (stranding) Many reports on this!
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-07-03/stranded-killer-whales-die-off-qu...
Oct 2017 Byron Bay
https://www.northernstar.com.au/news/killer-whales-spotted-off-byron-bay...
Jan 2018 Agnes Water (100 False Killer Whales) > Southbound
https://www.facebook.com/visitqueensland/videos/false-killer-whales-spot...
Oct 2019 Ballina
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-13/whale-watchers-witness-orcas-kill...
Sept 16, 2020 Weipa (Pod of 5) Rare event timed with rare Humpback up a river in NT.
https://www.facebook.com/7NEWSCQ/videos/killer-whales-spotted-of-far-nor...
Sept 27, 2020 Moreton Island (Pod of 3)
Qld Whale Sharks & Killer Whales are both deserving of the rarest tag.
.........................................................................................................................................
2000's Omura / Minke whale sightings deserve ultra rare tag.
Dec 2016 Mission Beach.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-12-15/rare-omura-whale-spotted-barrier-...
2019 Surfing off Cape Byron
https://issuu.com/echopublications/docs/byronecho3413/19?fr=sZGY4ZTM1NDg1
2020 Surfing Lennox Head
https://www.swellnet.com/news/reels/2020/10/02/watch-whale-rides-wave-le...
Happy 2021
Wild Wavers~~~~/(`~~`Y~~Y'~~~/(C..`^~^`~~^'~~/(C`..`^~~/\~`^~~/\~~
Thank You ...your reward, bonus exclusive inshore swellnet 2019 Timelines
2019 Qld record spate of Sharks Attacks / Cetaceans
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2018/02/27/factfile-fact...
2019 Oz Whale Beachings
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2018/11/22/buried-whale-...
2019 Artificial Surf Reefs Timeline
https://www.swellnet.com/forums/surfing-reef-designs/393451#comment-643729
Qld Turtle History (Deluxe) Timeline
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2020/01/16/the-sea-turtl...
Here's my shark story: Been surfing a lonely spot near a seal colony pretty much by myself for thirty years. Never seen a shark. Go figure.
Touch wood........now youv"e done it spuds
And how about DB, Spud.
A 2 hour drive, 20min walk, and total isolation except for the 100 seals right there on the point. Have spent a lot of time surfing that by myself, and have never seen a shark there either. Yet recent reports confirm their presence.
Boy's, wise old jungle saying, let the sleeping shark................
And FR, the answer to the question you asked me the other week is in there - Rumors.
- Solo sailor off the north east coast is found dead on the side of his sailing boat, leg missing. Some time ago now. Lots of gaps unfilled in that story.
- Girl, Sarah Whiley wades (unknowingly) into shark infested waters to cool off. Sharks tear her arms off as she tries to escape.
https://sharkattacksurvivors.com/shark_attack/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=668
The story of the USS Indianapolis is harrowing also.
https://www.theredstonerocket.com/news/article_169e8bfa-e008-11e9-bded-3...
- Sir Victor Coppleson's best seller "Shark Attack" has some chronological history of shark attack in Australia's history. As does Vic Hislop's "Sharkman"
https://www.amazon.com/Shark-Attack-Victor-Coppleson/dp/0207153507
Such blood curdling Shark Dundee Stories will surely keep the crew at bay.
tbb would't dare dream of turning down the fear factor, in fact...we'll ramp it up!
Can't promise blood as this weekend's scary shark tale had a happy ending.
Weekend shark story hails from the land of the "Great White Whale surfer".
(Trailer) "Idiot" *****
[Feature] "Bronzed Bommie Boyz" *****
Lads stranded on a bommie chumming a pack of sharks...what could go wrong?
As always our local legends win a larger than life hambone for the evening news.
https://www.msn.com/en-au/video/sport/teenagers-escape-circling-sharks/v...
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-10-27/divers-surrounded-by-sharks-while...
Message from your Minister:
"They did the right thing by choosing to wear a personal shark deterrent, which I'm sure assisted them in that circumstance."
PS: (Story reads 3 shark shields invite a sea of sharks to trap boys on a bommie!)
Jedd: Yeah! Outta nowhere this shark comes thru at 100 MPH & hit Emilio then 'almost' went straight for me...cause I had a big Sambo.
3 Shark Shields are meant to signal as a larger deterrent?
Shark zeroed in on 'empty handed' Emilio & hit him.
Then 'Almost' checked Jedd with the catch.
Mop top Ranga Toby never saw any underwater action.
Weekend Shark Lesson!
Only ever surf with mop top Rangas & Dead Fish
Never surf with Wogz & Shark Shields.
One day we Qldurrz will act only half as stupid then Oz will be lost without us!
SHARK...SHARK another double Whitsundays Attack .Qld: 13 attacks in 13 months.
https://www.9news.com.au/national/shark-attack-in-airlie-beach-two-peopl...
'World-first findings pinpoint where and when sharks are more likely to attack'
https://lighthouse.mq.edu.au/article/november-2019/World-first-findings-...
very, very unconvincing arguments there.
Science Lite
Just to start they say the risk of white shark attack is greater in months of high rainfall and next to river mouths.
They also reference the latest severe attack on Jason Edward's at Belongil, who was lucky to escape with his life.
That was nowhere near a river mouth and during a record dry summer.
Try again.
Using the Byron-Ballina area as the focus of studies (smart) the chief researcher dropped this clanger: "Using historical data on sea surface temperatures, the researchers were able to establish that attacks were occurring in areas along the coast where the water was cooler, either compared with surrounding areas of water, or compared to the same site the year before or the year after the time of the attacks.
These pockets of cooler water are caused by upwelling events, where dense, cool, and nutrient-rich water gets forced up against the coast. Such areas of the ocean are highly productive and sharks may be attracted by the abundance of fish or other prey, such as seals, that might follow the fish"
Really? Seals?
They might be coming in to feed on seals, around Byron-Ballina?
Try again.
"What causes these cool upwellings, specifically on the Far North Coast of NSW where there has been a higher than normal rate of bites and attacks, is the strengthening of the warm East Australian Current, so what’s nice about that is potentially we can look at the climatic factors which affect ocean current movement, and so have a little bit of a warning ahead of time."
Really? The EAC causes upwellings?
Try again.
Seals in Ballina ? What about penguins ?
freeride76
Love ya work, but just have to pull you up on that last point. Yes, it is true that the EAC does not cause upwelling but it certainly influences it via a phenomena called preconditioning where the isotherms are uplifted adjacent to the coast. See this paper for more detail (probably only need to read the intro):
http://www.oceanography.unsw.edu.au/private/publications/schaeffer%20201...
And if you really want to get hot and heavy with the physics/maths of it see this paper:
http://www.oceanography.unsw.edu.au/private/publications/Schaeffer_2013_...
Braudilio, from the intro: "It is well documented that wind stress and wind stress curl drive upwelling. When an along-shelf wind induces offshore surface transport, it leads to a divergence close to the coast that triggers the upwelling of cold nutrient-rich water originating from greater depths. The theoretical Ekman cross-shelf transport [Ekman, 1905] is now widely used as a proxy for upwelling [Bakun, 1973; Alvarez et al., 2008], while the dif- ference between the theoretical and the observed cross-shelf transport gives some insights into the spatial variability of the upwelling and the coastal divergence of Ekman transport [Kirincich et al., 2005; Dever
et al., 2006]."
To talk about upwelling events, especially inshore and especially sustained ones without mentioning Ekman transport (as the paper you referenced does) seems very short-sighted.
Sure, the EAC might "pre-condition" the isotherms but it's the Ekman transport which does the heavy lifting.
It's the continued N'ly winds which are driving the summer upwellings, not the EAC itself.
Wouldn’t warmer water from the EAC contribute to stronger / more frequent NE convection winds and thus more upwellings ?
Asking , not stating .
Warmer water in the EAC would mean less difference between land and sea during diurnal heating, and less strength to the NE'ly and upwelling. Also a deeper mixed layer so it'd take longer to upwell the colder water I'd believe.
Wasn't in any way defending the UMac article freeride. Agree the quote from the article is very short-sighted, and misleading, in attributing upwelling solely to the EAC. Sounds like something regurgitated from what someone else told them.
I just wanted to point out that the EAC plays a major part in upwelling events on the Nth NSW coast. It's definitely the sustained N wind that drives it but depending on EAC preconditioning then potentially less wind (in terms of duration and strength) will cause greater upwelling. i.e. from deeper water. And vice versa of course.
nup. convection winds are E through SE .
warm waters inshore from EAC means less temp differential between land and sea and leads to much less strong sea breezes.
One of the main negative feedback loops happening through summer now, is weak mobile high pressure which brings Northerly episodes. These drive upwellings, with the cooler inshore water bringing increased temp differentials and stronger N'lies.
That is one of the chief drivers of lack of moisture. The cooler N'ly winds hold much less moisture compared to warm, moist E through SE'lies.
In effect, they are desert winds.
It's these moist Tradewinds which have been flukey and lacking over summers in the last 5-7 years.
edit: basically, what Craig said.
Yep and as Braud has pointed out the EAC would play a part. I think I read that also where it seperates from the East Coast proper around Seal Rocks it can cause upwelling, especially when spawning eddys etc.
yeah, in that paper they reference an upstream and downstream segment with large scale eddies between them.
My theory is the greater contributor to increased summer North Coast upwelling is the Tasman sea heatwave.
By having warm rising air in the lower Tasman, normal summer highs are weaker and more mobile and hence we are getting less Tradewinds and more N'ly episodes.
Which is increasing Ekman transport and giving more upwelling.
But I can't find any papers to back that up.
Saw a seal recuperating on the rocks at south wall Ballina a few years ago from bite marks around its back , this time of year .
yep, they do get lost from time to time.
juvenile leopard seal was on the beach at Lennox this winter. Unfortunately, in poor condition and died.
Several years ago we would get one turn up here for a couple of weeks each year. Feed out on the bait grounds and laze on the rocks all on it's own. Always thought it was a bit strange to see them so far north but Nation Park rangers reckoned it was not so uncommon. Would make for interesting discussions in the local rag.
Freeride, I see your reasoning wrt to Tasman heatwave effects. Don't have time to dig for references at the moment. However,
https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017GL073714
Talks about MHWs from a different perspective but 4th paragraph of intro touches on the contributing processes. Probably goes in to depth later on but I don't have the time to delve right now. One thing is for sure, the ocean/atmosphere feedback is one complicated and complex system.
Interview with Double GWS attack survivor Shannon Ainslie - Utube
He survived a double white sharkattack..was next to another white attack...and then in Norway had to Orcas come to check him out...
Heads up that there's been bit of a whale carcass washed up at Old Bar. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-02/whale-carcass-washes-up-on-old-ba...
15ft White filmed off the Yorke Peninsula recently.
https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/giant-great-white-shark-circles-b...
Mako vid
Cowabunga...did you see the Remus - Hunter and the Hunted one from a few years ago..?
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!