Shark attack on NSW north coast leaves surfer with severe leg injuries
A surfer has suffered severe lacerations to her leg in a shark attack at Shelly Beach in Port Macquarie, on the NSW north coast.
The woman, aged in her early 20s, was treated by paramedics who were called to the beach just after 9.30am today, NSW Ambulance said.
She was taken to Port Macquarie Base Hospital and later airlifted to Newcastle Hospital, where she will undergo surgery.
"The patient suffered severe lacerations to her right leg," said NSW Ambulance duty operations manager Inspector Andrew Beverley.
The woman was bitten on the leg a number of times while surfing, a spokesman for Surf Lifesaving Australia (SLA) said.
The shark was a juvenile great white shark about 2 to 3 metres in length, the spokesman said.
Beaches in the area have been closed.
The woman's companion, who was surfing nearby, punched the shark repeatedly until it let go, police and surfers said.
"A surfer who witnessed the attack responded quickly to assist the woman by hitting the shark repeatedly until it released the woman's leg," Steven Pearce, CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW, said.
The man helped the woman out of the water and up the beach to a waiting ambulance.
NSW paramedics have also praised people on the beach who helped the victim.
"The bystanders on scene that rendered assistance should be commended. They did an amazing job before we arrived," Inspector Beverley said.
More to come.
© Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
Comments
And 2-3m will become 4-6m soon enough.
Dont forget they'll also have fricken laser beams. Its all true....
35's already become in her 20's
Wasnt there 18 tons of Whale buried at that beach in 2017...?
Sure was. Sept. 18 2017
"Port Macquarie-Hastings Council made the decision to bury the carcass in consultation with National Parks and Wildlife Service and ORCCA."
Here's the full article : https://www.theislanderonline.com.au/story/4935994/beach-grave-for-dead-...
"The adult whale was freed by Marine Rescue Port Macquarie on Sunday, September 17 2017 off nearby Shelly Beach. It is believed the whale travelled from as far as Tasmania trapped in the rope and was exhausted. It struggled throughout the night to return out to sea before dying and washing up close to shore at Nobbys Beach on Monday morning. It was buried late Monday night.
Council says the decision was considered a last resort.
It said the (dead?) whale was caught among rocks and was not able to be moved. "
"Marine Rescue deemed the prevailing and forecast winds made conditions too dangerous and further attempts were abandoned."
Nup. The Whale was buried, then later exhumed from neighbouring Nobby's beach.
Old mate man in the grey suit can smell a dead carcass from km away... even if it is buried but esp. if it is leaching back into the ocean in some form. Avoid those places....
Hate to think in the near future these attacks become a common ocurrence and nobody blinks an eye......hope shes going to be o.k.
Thanks captain fearmonger.....
Um gw bit a person who has been rushed to hospital.
Fear mongering or are you just being a dick trying to stir people. Maybe this is not a site for you and you should go somewhere else.
Bit triggered are u fraz??? Concerned of sharks?? Ok lets make them extinct.... Then what??? Maybe ur worried about dolphins... They have jumped into people on SUPs before....Should we get rid of them too? Whales 'attacked' a swimmer last week... Cull them? Cassowaries kick people...and Stingrays got steve irwin.....So they're gone hey.
How about u either accept the risk or stay the fuck at home princess....
Obviously you're too dumb to read.
None of that said. You've just made up garbage too attack. Why do that, it's just bizarre. Seriously, what man bothers to engage in that shit?
You accused people of fearmongering. The fact is there has been an attack. That is scary and it's horrible for the poor lady. It will probably mentally scar those in the water. Only an intellectual munter like you could draw a fearmongering conclusion and attack people for showing concern.
But yes, I have a healthy fear of sharks. I surf a lot alone at reefs and beaches well known for sharks. I don't understand what your point is here. Are you actually telling me how I should feel?
Anyway, you have no credibility. An antagonistic hater. Daddy issues perhaps? Go away and leave this site to people who are happy for reasonable debate.
Yeh right..... Let me know who is willing to have an intelligent discussion and it will be done. You sir, lack the intelligence to recognise the difference between 'to' and 'too' but go ahead and attack me for having a differing opinion to yourself. The ocean is shark territory, and scientists tell us they are on the decline. Dont like an ocean full of a variety of species including the big ones with teeth??? Go learn tennis.
Can't just be daddy issues. Must be a small penis thing as well bud.
Thats some quality debate..... Fraz for P.M.
Yawn.
Quality contibutors like Simba, tbb, freeride to name a few, many with differences but respectful, and then there's you. A liar, a person who makes up people said things they didn't just to have a go. Maybe just a bit lonely and trying to make yourself feel better by belittling others.
Well done. One of life's true winners!
Hahahaha.... All those words and nothing actually said. A certain sign of a loss is to attack the person rather than respond to the arguement. Dont you dare put your simpleton comments in the same league as t.b.b.....its embarrasing. T.b.b is a god.
Yeah i bodyboard.... So what....way to get off topic and make it personal guys.
More lies. More making things up. More attacks on false pretence.
I thought you were just a dick but now I actualy feel sorry for you.
Please stop it fraz.... You embarrass and bring shame to your family. Its over,
intelligence won and you can retreat home to suck on your mums teat. Say hi to her for me.....
mum's teat
Bit of a cull wouldn't hurt no big deal
Didn't you point out the difference between to and too, and then spell argument with an extra e?
Anyone can make a blue.
Well Fraz, he is a dick dragger after all, so kind of little man syndrome combined with impotency. What a knob, you made perfectly valid points but he just wanted a target to make him feel better about not getting to his feet as a boy.
Please remind me of the valid points fraz made boomer........ yeh, nothing.
i thought so.
Boomer? Hahaha! Gen X and proud you fucktard. We’re the ones who invented everything you love, like your soft little sponge. Dude, go play in your own sandpit, this forum is for surfers. Try Stab or Inertia, or Dolly. Whatever, just STFU
Hahahaha...
As i thought.... U got nothing. Take ur pills and go to bed u old man. I wish you well....Dementia is a terrible disease..... Good luck.
Still nothing on those 'valid points' hey...... Zzzzzzzzz.
Lol
or maybe im being realistic and you need to pull your head out of your arse
Or maybe you're just trying to politicise an unfortunate incident. Dont like sharks.... Stay out of the water. Simples......
“You sir, lack the intelligence to recognise the difference between 'to' and 'too' but go ahead and attack me for having a differing opinion to yourself.“
What about your and you’re?
Just saying.
Fair point, but i corrected it while others continue to watch the point fly over their head. Or is it they're.... Or there.....
theireyre????
Bahahahahaha
Bahaha
Is already a weekly occurence and that is just the bites. Near misses are more numerous again.
That's terrible news. Poor bugger. Hope she heals quickly.
Too many whites , we seriously won’t be able to surf in 5 years , fukn shark huggers have ruined it
We dont want u surfing.
Stay home if ur scared.... More waves for me.
Not scared at all , I’m saying they’ll fine us for surfing like reunion island , good luck anyway
Mmmmmm.... A ban on surfing. Yeah, that comment is not displaying fearmongering at all....
Coming from a person who has 3 kids that surf it’s looking daunting for them to enjoy the ocean like we have ..... you wait .. 5 years they’ll be big whites .... there’s an imbalance just like your head
“there’s an imbalance just like your head”
Probably the smartest thing said so far
shark huggers havent done anything. No point sharks being killed so you can feel safer in the water
Vic hislop had the right idea ! Haha nah I don’t agree with killing all of them just a bit of a controlled thinning , anyway this debate will go on for years there’s nothing we can do except feet up and good luck
This is getting crazy. Hope the young lady is ok physically and mentally.
North Coast would have to be by now one of the worlds hot-spots for attacks/encounters.
Possibly by # of attacks. Certainly not by probability.
Signs up at horse shoe bay in southwest rocks a few weeks ago there was a GW seen over a few days swimming of the rocks ....hate to hear somebody has been attacked ...if your dog bites someone the council wants to put it down ..not an issue if your shark
It seems the sharks are doing everything they can to reverse the increased population of surfers due to Covid-19.
Fear will keep people out of the water. Perhaps rightly so?
not another one.... try to stay safe everyone
Hope she is OK but shout out to old mate who went in swinging to help her out!!!!!
Heaps of salmon schools coming in close ATM on the east coast with the baitfish & westerlys.
Feet up and no slashing.... if you desperately have to surf nearby.
9 fatalities in nsw from a population of 7.5million, 2.5 million are surfers.... Many millions more are swimmers/ocean goers......since 1966.
To call for a cull is nothing more than fearmongering.....wake up.
2.5 million surfers? Are you sure?
Boogie fever This isn’t stab fuckhead. Hoo roo
Yeah cheers.... I'll pack up and go then. Great advice.... U really contributed to the debate.
Second that goofy, hoo roo with the commentary, boogiefever
So i have a differing opinion and you're offended terminal....sounds like you're arguing for censorship.
Harden up snowflake. Or go have a scoobie and a lie down....whatevs.
Get some help buddy. All kidding aside, you actually need it. That feeling when everyone hates you must suck, but you can get help. All the best.
To make you and your neanderthal mates hate me and my ideals makes me happy. Job done......
Lots of whites here at the moment, no salmon.
Good on old mate who went in and went the biff on the shark.
Hope all concerned recover quickly.
The risk profile in NNSW is very clearly changed. From very, very few white shark encounters/attacks, to multiple encounters/attacks per year.
Thanks freeride, I think he is gone. Clearly not a well individual. I rarely comment in this forum, I enjoy reading the wise words of the peeps in here, but that bloke was just a horrible fuckwit. On a side note, I actually admire the men in grey suits, very cool beasts, just not when I'm in the water.
Yes. Surfalot and his gorilla gang have issues but no need for gutter mouth insults. I think inbreeding is the problem.....
You posted: "Yeah cheers.... I'll pack up and go then. "
So go. You really should seek help fella.
Make me leave pyjama boy.....
You appreciate sharks but dont want them near you....so 10m, 100m.... Same state???
hypocrite much????
Here you go: https://au.reachout.com/mental-health-issues
https://images.app.goo.gl/epF5jVWx1cmiYsM3A
For the statistics buffs out of over 740* sharks in the T&R program in NSW, around 450, or 61%, have been GWS.
That’s 12 other species they are vastly outnumbering, ergo, the protection program has been a resounding success.
The scientists can now say they have a decent handle on their migration patterns, what they can’t is what happens when these majority 2-3 m sharks grow into 3-4m models over the next few years.
*DPI site not been updated for the last 4 months.
Or you could say gws are attracted to the baits and therefore register more often.... Or... It could depend on feeding patterns, hook size, bait placement, baits heights, bait palettes... Even desperation due to food supplies. Its a complex subject....Not a simple as you would think. Leave it to the scientists please....
I think surfalot is a scientist as fucktard is often part of their vernacular....
All the best for the recovery, hopefully you'll be all good and back in the water asap. Sounds like you've got a great man, one who'll even take on a fearsome water beast to protect you, might be a keeper..... just saying.
Get well soon.
Yep, definitely a troll. Don't get many on here
Sorry norm, some other day. I'm not keen for discussion with the troll lurking about
Yeah, not into a differing ideal to your backwards thinking......back it up boomer!!!!! Put your 19th century opinion out there...Own it simpleton!!!!
Any news on the young lady boys?
Whatevs.......A Troll or a forward person with a differing opinion. Its easy to blame others for the holes in your arguement.
Cmon.... Dont be soft,
back ur assumptions up with evidence... Or dont u have any. I think thats the problem.... Less john laws/alan jones and more quality journalism.
Man up....
"or a forward person" - Gold. Self professed gold. So forward that we just can't appreciate your brilliance!
Aaaawhahahahaha.
Is that it????? Weak.....
Onya goofyfoot no debate required there ....fuck head is spot on
The bite is what he is after boys. Gives him a sense of self legitimacy. He obviously needs it. Ignore.
He’s snuck one of mums raspberry vodka cruisers while she was cooking his dinner and now he’s all fired up teaching the lads on swellnet a thing or two.
Splitting headache tomorrow and mums banned him from the internet again to follow...
Hahaha u made me me laugh out loud or lol goofy! Classic! Boogie gone full retard, u never go full retard! No offence to retarded people, tropic thunder! Yew!
Hahaha u made me me laugh out loud or lol goofy! Classic! Boogie gone full retard, u never go full retard! No offence to retarded people, tropic thunder! Yew!
'Read'..... Its scary because someone is questioning my beliefs and i have nothing to back it up. Debate me....... I dare you.
What would you like to actually debate? Outside of lying, attacking people for things they did not say and making up issues to provoke - what is it you stand for (no pun intended) and want to add to this ?
Cmon frazzled, we all know which way u lean. Quit sidestepping and say it....dont be a sheep. Stick your neck out.....scared much???
Again, a simple question not answered and it reveals you.
You were asked to set out what facts/ thoughts you have you want to debate.
An attack in response that has no real thoughtful purpose is not what you would normally get from a man of integrity such as yourself.
Re-cap frazzled.
I questioned the idea that shark attacks will continue to rise. You call me a dick.... And then you call me a munter and mentioned my small dick(could be some truth in that).I call you out for attacking the messenger rather than the message..... You continue to attack me. My opinion differ to yours and you cant handle it. Man up.
At no point did i trivialise the situation but asked the question of others trying to score political points from an unfortunate situation. I have been called a fucktard and moron numerous times yet have maintained my ideals which are obvious from my posts.
What are your ideals frazzled? Stop skirting the questions and own your opinion instead of trolling others beliefs. Scared much????
Too many princesses.... Take a differing opinion and debate it. Be a man....
I'd call it a loaded question rather than a simple question.
I guess the 'fraz' is short for frazzled. Running scared..... Just like in the ocean. Oooooooh....
Gee, there is some weak people in tonight. Weaker than normal.....They want to propose their discussion point or opinion without actually having to back it up. Can anyone spell dictatorship???? A stingray killed steve irwin.... Are you calling for a stingray cull? Or a dingo cull due to the Chamberlain case??? Explain the difference.....and a reminder that the article refers to a lady that is not a death statistic and at the moment has survived the bite.
Boogie, just cause blowfly/vic/facto/guy speak piles of shit doesn't mean you have to join them.
Elaborate......
Wow. I’m late to this thread but saw 70-odd comments and clicked on it, expecting to see some more insightful, mostly respectful debate in the same vein as the last attack, which was sadly not very long ago at all, or very far from this one. Instead I found a bunch of concerned people, countered by a depressingly angry moron. Carry on, I’ll sit this one out and wait till the next. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be on the benches for long
Mate, dont call fraz a moron. Sure, hes a simple boy but he deserves to live, just like the GWS. The chances of a shark attack are less than being killed by a soda dispenser but i digress.
I try to respectfully debate the Snowflakes but its not that simple. Thanks for the vote of confidence...
Yeah Kaiser, thread got hijacked by a troll, not a very good one at that.
Not exactly sure but.....wasn't it Vic Hislop who said a few decades back when the push was made to make the GW a protected species that we would surely see an increase in human attacks if this happened because they would breed without restriction and numbers would explode????.......haven't all the old mate fishermen on the North NSW coastline said they have seen more large GW's in the last few years than they have ever seen in their prior decades of fishing the area????.........perhaps we should cull GW's for a period of time and fish eaters can eat them for a while and give the poor salmon/tuna/mackerel etc species that have been being slaughtered for decades a break and a chance to re populate............I'm vegetarian so don't eat any of them but I wonder if all the greenie shark huggers eat fish and don't give a second thought to all those animals that are killed for their satisfaction yet yell "PROTECT THE GW SHARK"..........seems a little hypocritical to me.
Was first one in water at Flynn's on dawn that day he caught the 6m monster 300m away. Heard shark stories but never seen them. Dose of reality.
Last 3 years things have changed. Never seen, almost never, uncommon, rare but not so uncommon.
Didn't a lot more smaller sharks move in to that area when he took the big one? I heard this from a local years ago and that a lot of people were not happy about it.
TBB. You know your stuff. We are seeing more of a presence of seals and sharks where I live and surf. In recent years we have seen fish farms set up shop right near our local beaches. We can see them from the surf. I was just wondering if there was any link between more sea life and the introduction of fish farms to an area. We really only get GWS, makos and others, but no bull sharks, and tigers only visit the NE of our state.
Thanks mate
Amazing. Who jumps on a GWS!!
https://7news.com.au/news/sharks/woman-20-in-serious-conditation-after-b...
What a shame. Shark attacks are a lose lose situation. Sharks are targeted with hatred for following natural instincts without any negative intent, humans are injured or killed, traumatised beyond belief. And the government will bandy around ineffectual ideas because they're too afraid to piss of a portion of their voters, so nothing changes and we continue to read about victims from shark attacks - both the humans and animals involved.
Boogie fever, everyone understood your point. It doesn't need debating, it's quite straight forward. My summary: If you can't handle the Sharks, get out of the water. It's their natural habitat and we, as surfers, regularly invade it. As far as we know they don't have the cognitive ability to differentiate between humans and other prey. Just like a sting ray, using your example.
Everyone is entitled to their own view though. As a surf community it's always sad to see one of our number harmed or killed in any way. It's also sad to know that an amazingly well adapted animal will probably be killed for just trying to survive. People are allowed to express that. Otherwise, if we all had to think as you do, that would be a dictatorship. Please stop giving bodyboarders a bad name. And seriously, please seek help. Faceless anger is an ugly disease.
Well said 333, and he doesn't give bodyboarders a bad name, in my book anyway.
x2 good post above 333.
Btw- your screen name named after the Vietnamese beer?
Thanks mate, nah 333 is an old alias. Never heard of 333 beer. I'll look it up.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/333_Premium_Export_Beer
Not a bad drop.
Hahahahaha....dont care.
https://images.app.goo.gl/Q7Pm71ZNLPkMbq1u6
I hear what ur saying, its what im saying. Its not anger.... Its self defense as written in my last post above. Its easy for trolls to call a person a troll.....
Lying again mate. Stop making up shit.
Its written above for all to see mate. You're delusional.... but go on, have fun living a lie bud......
Agree it's there for all to see and they have. Not one person accepted your attacks. You lied and keep lying about what people have apparently said and done, when they have not. You are the attacker but claim to be the attacked. Been asked to outline your debate and have not.
You just wish to hate and I feel for you.
As a few have now said, this is probably the wrong platform for you.
So if you think im wrong.....just who are you trying to convince with your repetative attacks on me? Just neck up and move on. Its a free country and ill continue to voice my opinion as written above regardless of you harrassing me. If you cant read my previously written comments thats ur problem, not mine. Chill on the anger dude.... Namaste.
Morning BF,
Never mind 'dictatorship' try starting with 'repetitive'.
I must say, you're looking like you 'lack the intelligence' for this big debate.
Sorry, couldn't help myself. You were being a bit of a dick last night.
Here we have a juvenile boogeyboarder from QLD who is trying to be a smart ass on a surfing website. You are completely disrespectful to the readers of this forum with your “ I got A+ in debating class at high school” comments.
When your legs get shredded to pieces by a large shark, maybe you might spare a thought for the poor lady whom this article is written for.
Now for everyone else. My friend was in the water during the attack in Bunker Bay 2 weeks ago and he is extremely traumatised by the event. He had a shark shield on his board and was further out. How no one died was just lucky. The effect this has on everyone lasts for a long time so please be safe and alert everyone. Including boogeyboarders.
Wishing these survivors speedy recoveries and support for all involved.
*I will now all of ignore BF’s comments no matter the reply as they are counter productive to this article and urge all to do the same.
Peace
Amen to that Legrope. Fuck the troll, there’s more at stake than stroking his feeble ego. Let’s hope she’s going okay...
Ooooh........that hurts but thanks for schooling me so well... You boomers are alright.
Btw.....Wouldnt happen to have shares in the shark shield would you???? Great advert.....
On a lighter note boogiefever is the handle a John Travolta thing or a Mike Stewart thing?? Just asking for a friend.
I think a TBB post is needed to balance out the comments here.
Intellect and reason has been scarce.
Condolences to those affected. Id love to think id be bale to paddle over and help stop something like this but what are the chances of you getting attacked also? Is it common knowledge that the sharks target their prey and won't go for you after?
I haven’t heard of multiple surfers being attacked by a single shark. Doesn’t mean it can’t happen but you’d want to be fully committed to paddle over to a surfer being attacked. But then if it was your wife being chomped on (like I understand the Port woman was), you’d be a coward if you paddled in instead.
aussieguy there was an attack in the early 90's at Nahoon Reef in South Africa where 1 surfer died and the other survived. A guy called Andrew Carter got bitten first and managed to escape so the shark went to the next surfer who unfortunately died. I think (might be wrong) this is the only recorded double attack on surfers.
http://sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/1994.07.09.a-Carte...
haggis...calk ..you'll be the death of me...tbb agrees if we gotta step up, we must!
All crew Salute the Class of 2020 brave surfers...get well soon one & all.
( History ) With respect to saltwater & swellnet local crew...
Port Macquarie only became a settlement because of iconic numerous Large Sharks..
1818 John Oxley : "The Port abounds with Fish, the Sharks were Larger and more numerous than I have ever before observed.
https://kids.kiddle.co/Port_Macquarie
1821 : Sharks were the lure for the Port Macquarie Penal Settlement.
No Sharks...No Town...No Surfers.
Dr No: "Fuck Yeah! Heaps of Big Sharks for my Offshore Detention Centre!"
Pretty tough act to top!
No one's ruling out Dutto going retro with the latest shiver! ('Great place for Reffos!')
tbb will fast forward to modern day Port Macquarie...not much has changed...
No disrespect to locals...tbb is learning of your world of wonder as he writes.
Merely sharing research skills to iron out what little we know... hope it helps!
Winter
Oxley's discovery of heaps of Big Sharks / Bait Fish / Whale Season / Seals ...
Winter regulars : June > (Fur Seals) > Aug (Leopard Seals) 15 of each/season..
These seals clamour over rocks to exit & enter. (Possibly wary of Sharks?)
The same seal can return to laze each day on the beach or Outcrop or Headland.
They emit a large scent for offshore sharks that bob to scan & sniff out the shoreline.
Anyone Surfing offshore from a seal scented outcrop would be mistaken for a seal.
Ancient beach that a Shark regards as a Seal hang would place a surfer in danger.
Lifeguards were seen tailing the Shark offshore with tide south from Hastings River.
Hastings River Tide Times (Out going South bait fish as to recent GWS Attacks.)
*Sept 2015 [ Apology ] > Central Coast -Shelly Beach > The Entrance (see below)
Aug 2020 3hr/40m Shelly Beach Centre North ( Between < Beach Rock Crop > Bommie )
Aug 2015 4hrs Lighthouse Beach ( Bait Fish + Beach Rock Crop > Seal + Kingfish )
tbb is not saying there is a pattern ...just compiling a timeline that points to such!
recap! Saturday High 5:22am > Attack 9:00am > Report 9:30am
Note: Kingfish are Human size 3 fin surfboards with Dangling split Tail / Legs...See!
https://underwater.com.au/content/9761/yellowtail_kingfish.jpg
Shark naturally shadows Bait Fish out with the Tide south to Ancient Seal Beaches.
Going slow eyeing off & sniffing out known outcrops for seal to take the Bait...
Modern Surfer unwittingly enters surf by age old seal route & triggers Shark Alarm...
Possibly why Shark strikes over & again...knowing we must be the seal as evermore.
Creepily! Sharks swim miles & pinpoint beachgoers for 1st Aid from Human weapons.
They thrash their tails for prompt medical attention...now becoming the norm.
On the flip, they don't hesitate to attack personal water craft...wanting payback.
Note how Sharks can stalk Humans on Land...They know exactly who & what we are!
In the flurry of the wave zone & Bait fish...humans / boards would resemble prey.
Ye olde Dusk & Dawn > Duck'n'Cover has had a good run...it's time we get serious!
Oz has 100,001 Sonars & Cams to fine every surfer 10 x over, but can't spot a shark.
We can learn the Sharks Time Table to better share & respect our Ocean's Majesty!
There are no answers here...these are just little steps that we all must step up!
tbb learns from all crew's comments, we're all on the same wavelength & all care!
Happy to share with surfers here & Salute Heroes of the hour...Surf Godz they are!
TBB, those hours you are giving, are they hours past high tide when attack occurred?
Yes! Distracted...that's very important..for a timetable
AEST Past the high dropping to nearest attack times ...Hastings River Port Macquarie Wharf ...15-30mins lag. (Note: report times are often wrongly reported as attack times (1hr+ difference sometimes)...Sat' attack was 9:00am reported at 9:30am.
Recapping that many Fishos claim Baitfish are bundled & held up in the seaway on High Tide as Sharks wait outside. Timing back from the River mouth high tide the bait are pinned against the shore. The sharks gate the baitfish in bulk using the gutters by stalling them down the beach by the tidal hour.
The sharks could run individual timetables that reflect the contours & reef layout and furrows to each beach...in general 1hr timetables the Shark at 1-2kms from River Mouth or 4hrs > 6kms...
Normally the Mid Tide shallows & disperses the bait fish. These bommie beaches have inside lagoons so would give shark an extra hour to gate these lagoons.
Swell in turn, runs the hunt faster. Lighthouse (Watonga Rocks) attack (4hrs) had a real fast North corkscrew swell...so consider the bait run wider & south 8 kms in 4hrs as best time...comparable to Southerly ground swell of gated "outrunning inshore " Bait Balls moving north.
Baitballs rush in much faster on incoming tide..shark would have no chance. Bull Sharks go in & out all day but White sharks / Orca won't get dirty venturing inside seaways...Port Stephens (Bay) schools of juvenile whites venture inside for DNA (Charophyte) cereal hits..possibly via rays, crab that feast on Ghost shrimps.
As fishos say...you wait along with Sharks for the tide to turn & do it's magic trick..then take all the time you need to scoop yer prize. During this gating the Shark is focused, but once the baitball breaks along the lineup...that is the danger hour for surfers as shark switches to attack mode. (see: Timetable >1hr near Creek >>>)
This only applies to baitfish... other attacks from GWS are by chasing large pelagics at speed from the deep then lose the target in lineup of surfers...all with similar size & shape to target species. Sharks will also hunt beyond but close to the line-up as baitfish gather on the back of a low but in smaller numbers.
Problem for surfers is the back of each tide charges up the Top power wave energy that we crave...sharing the same wave mechanics as the shark. The Shark wants to come from underneath to scoop his Yum Yums at the same time Surfers want to feast on their chunky Slab Yum Yums...
Cheers TBB, I remember you mentioning the tide times previously. When fishing the beaches I’d always been thinking of fish coming in on the incoming tide, but makes sense that the sharks can use the outgoing tide. Difficult to plan a surf around avoiding fun out tides though.
Is the 2015 attack you are referring to at Ballina or Port Macquarie Shelly Beach. I think the previous incident at Shelly Beach in Port Maq turned out to be a wobbegong.
Correction:
Thanks distracted ...I'll correct that!
2013 Shelly Beach Wobbegong was discounted...
2015 Shelly Beach Ballina was discounted
2015 Shelly Beach "Central Coast ?"
2015 "Central Coast" Shelly Beach attack...
It was neither Port Macquarie or Ballina - (Shelly Beach)
ABC Article was post attack & was short on detail...(North of Gosford?)
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-08/man-injured-in-nsw-central-coast-...
tbb dug deeper for a Tourist Site with much greater detail of Location.
2015 "Central Coast " Shelly Beach @ The Entrance
https://www.centralcoastaustralia.com.au/news/beaches-closed-following-s...
Big Apology for mix up of Dual Common Coastal names
Beaches - Shelly / Lighthouse / Palm / Park / Back / Main
Ports- Shark Bay / Boat Harbour / Southport
Coasts- Central / South / Surf...
2 x Shelly Beaches on Central Coast ...tbb was caught out!
Goes to show that double checking is not enough.
Crew are proved right about unreliable Sharky data ...
Thanx again distraction...yes it lacked detail & tbb took a punt...all sorted!
Shark data requires a 3 point check...tbb was caught out & will shape up!
Thanks TBB. Found this article. Interesting with the numbers for sharks on the East Coast. Not many adults when you think about it - 800. Many more juveniles that will grow into adults. With conservation we will see numbers rise.
In the article, they suggest that climate change may be a driver for more sharks and seals to come south.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-08-01/do-two-close-encounters-mean-more...
Adding to truebluebasher,s comments we have an increasing recreational fishing fleet creating some asociation with humans boat noise and food we cage dive in various locations around australia and the world agitating and throwing food at GWS and other species while humans are in the water ..shark feeding dive sites all associating humans sharks boat noise and food ??? animals distinctly remember where and how they get an easy feed and associate patterns ...plenty of signs reminding you to not feed the animals because you encourage them to change there behavior around towns and national parks ....sharks are far to confident around boats etc these days ..you used to see them in the shadows around fishing commercial fishing vessels etc...not anymore there confident as ...they soon learn not to go where shark netts are set you only have to create a dangorous inviroment for apex predators for them to get the hint ... they have a strong survival instinct ... again commercial fisherman have seen an increase in numbers over the last 10 yrs ..something the experts deny ..maybe they should put the books down leave there desk and get on boat an have a look ...
Last weekend I surfed a local spot & surfed over the top of a 2m+ juvenile white shark. Surfed the wave to the shorey & then back out through the rip beside the point. Let the other surfers know about what I'd encountered & I think maybe one went in nxt wave (about 6 surfers in the line-up). Next morning a solitary surfer (dawn patrol) experienced a 3.5m GWS do a drive by, & he paddled in due to lack of waves coming through. Third White that I've seen this winter, where in my 40 yrs of surfing it was a very rare event to see a GWS. So what is happening here??? Obviously their numbers have increased as have surfers in the line-up. Do you get out if you see a 2m Or a 3+m? After the events @ Shelly beach yesterday I think I'll be getting out no matter what size shark is spotted, however I won't be staying out of the surf as it is my church of the open sky!!! Hope the young lady(& her partner) recovers both physically & mentally after her encounter.
Where are you groovie?
Which state , Groovie?
https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Environment/Oceans-and-coasts/Sharks/Wh...
Huge margin of error there.
In other news by the end of the year the ASX200 will be 6,125 (range of 3,246 to 14,361)
Man i got to get some of this troll action... hey boogieboy yr not the same dick from sa r ya? Keep on sharkbaitin fella
What would the fine be if someone took this matter into their own hands? Hypothetical of course I don’t have a gun or a boat or am I in NSW.
A guy at Sussex inlet in 2012 copped a 18K fine for killing one by ramming it with his boat and bashing it with a pole.
Jeez, some snapper head killed 400 wedge tailed eagles and got a 2500 fine.
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - time for a review.
Best wishes to the surfer and her rescuer.
How do we reconcile all the anecdotal evidence of very large numbers of juvenile GWS (to the detriment of other observed species, even) from divers and fishermen; the fishermen's tales of never seeing so many large ones trailing boats at night; with the science not seeming to take this into account, nor finding confirmation of great increases in numbers?
The problem with anecdotal evidence is that it's mostly collected in an unstandardised manner. This means that it's very difficult to compare data points. Probability of detection is going to be inherently highly variable with anecdotal evidence and there's a high chance of false positives/negatives due to a suite of factors. There are statistical methods emerging that consider this kind of thing, but I think there is still debate over their efficacy.
A bit off topic but over here in NZ, north west of Auckland we have the kaipara harbour, its the biggest harbour in the Southern Hemisphere and is teeming with whites Ana is a known breeding hub. this has always been the case but following the fishing as I do, encounters are way up. It’s only a hop and a skip over to nsw from there
Thoughts go out to the victims in all these recent events
Thanks Terminal, very difficult to standardise observations out there. Recording them fine, but it's in the interpretation.
Boykee, have you guys had any orcas going through them? This recent link from South Africa suggests that all the whites around Cape Town have up-and-gone:
https://www.surfer.com/features/great-whites-are-disappearing-in-cape-to...
Killer whales (two named 'Port' and 'Starboard' who devised a ruthless way of harvesting a GWS liver) were thought to be the blame, but article seems to think overfishing of their flake is the cause: ironically, the flake is going to Australia.
Hey mate, Re. the Pointers leaving Cape Town. An observation from last year. I spent a month or so about this time last year on the coast between Bremmer Bay and Hopetoun just camping, exploring and surfing. Beautiful coast. However, completely shark infested, at that time anyway. I'd never seen so many big sharks, close in, most of them in the 3m range, some bigger, hard to be sure of species, but assuming by submarine type shape that they were Pointers....big weighty looking things. It got to the point that i stopped surfing at one place i was surfing because i was seeing up one swim by every time i checked the surf. Ended up taking video of them. Anyway, point being they were all swimming one direction. All of them going East. Not a single one going West. At the time i thought it was probably just following their seasonal migration, but after reading this Cape Town thing, i'm wondering if it's part of that population on the move for greener pastures. Haven't been back there this year so can't say whether it is a seasonal thing or not. Anyway, just an observation.
Hey BlueDiamond, great comment! WA south coast is amazing, it gave me the heebie-jeebies surfing it in the 90s - but I loved it. If out alone, sessions no more than 45 mins... I can't imagine it now, but I can see the water colour.... Standing on a rounded granite outcrop, overlooking a reef breaking perfectly completely surrounded by dark, dark seagrass, being alone... Out alone again, school of salmon do a drive-by and you are sticking head in the water looking into the blue-turquoise shadows beyond... It's funny, with all this shite going on in Vic at the moment, my mind's eye is back over that way, between Denmark and Eucla... Can't get past SA border unless I register as an international student however, so back to the shed!
What you got to see would be mind blowing - see the big ones up close from the rocks. I've never seen that, they've been in the water coming to check me out when I've seen them.
We do know that when Orcas hunt them and kill one, entire populations have been documented bolting great distances - eg Cali to Hawaii. Maybe the Cape Town ones did similar? There was a doco on attacks at the Chatham islands where the local GWS formed a 'boys pack' around a large male and all hung out together, maybe you saw groupings like that. And I wonder how much offshore fishing is herding them inshore, like at Reunion? Or maybe what you saw is a natural movement of the South/West Oz GWS population? (Wasn't natural in the 90s though!)
South/West Oz populations go as far as Wilson's Prom. I do wonder if they come over to this Bass Strait way and that's where the mamas pup as well. Flash forward and when my young one was 12, he was beginning to get out the back so we were on really nice clear beachies out toward Lorne. He wanted to go further out than anyone. Anyway, we did, and after an hour, chopper came over and told us to get out of the water - 5m beastie on patch of reef about 70m offshore. It had probably heard/sensed us the whole time. I wonder if it was a big female pupping? That shark later made the papers as it began its slow path back west, had the clubby boats chase it around Lorne.
Jeez VJ that's a little too close for comfort...last thing you'd expect around those parts but of course they'd always be out off there.
Yeah it's magical coast down here, fickle and frustrating at times but when the planets align, worth the wait. Yeah had one big dog come rushing in outta the deep while i was out, which was why i ended up not surfing there again. It looked like a submarine and when i came in, the beast came right in to the inshore gutter and swam in a couple of metres of water just sussing me. It was the most surreal thing i've seen, and it was a real big one. I was wishing there was someone else there to show them. Unbelievable...then he slowly headed back out the back. I'm not sure if the Bremmer canyon out offshore there has some kinda influence on it, but yeah, like i said, it had that infested feel to it at the time. I'd go another 50 ks down the coast, check the surf, and again, big dark shadow swimming along beach.
Hopefully borders relax soon enough so you can get back over here. You guys are doing it tough over there by sounds of it. Hope you're scoring a few sly sessions to keep you stoked.
Whoa far out BD that is full on! I guess you saw it and got a wave in quickly/into the white water, then in? Once I had to scramble in over a reef (tried to paddle over shallowest bits), no idea where it was after it came by, just crapping myself.
TBB linked footage to a 15ft one inshore (hit by prop), they look freakin huge when in close. Glad you got in, someone was looking over you that day. If you care to tell the tale in more detail, I reckon quite a few of us would be intently reading.
Haha,it's not the most exciting of stories. There was an outside bank breaking the swells up into a nice little A frame shorey. Saw it come cruising in like a sub on a wave on the outside bank (close enough!!...but still not too close) so i hightailed it outta there on the first wave i got. That deeper gutter ran in alongside that bank so didn't have to paddle in across it luckily.. Yeah would love to see that vid.
Did have a good size bronzie do a buzz by underneath me a couple of months ago. That was pretty terrifying. School of baitfish and birds diving, and just as i had the thought that this might be too close and have sharks feeding, it buzzed straight in at me, all muscly and angry, i could see its eye and mouth..it was coming straight at me and i only saw it from a few metres away.. I braced for impact..lifted my legs instinctively and looked down and saw it go straight under me. Deep red back, pectorals. Decent enough size, bigger than me. Not sure if lifting my legs saved me from getting hit or if it was just muscling in and seeing what i was and maybe being a bit territorial. Had to do the long paddle in after that....not a single wave broke!!! So unfair. haha. But yeah, all good! That one rattled me for a bit. I reckon alot of crew must have pretty similar stories. I've heard some crackers. Definitely reckon if you feel that feeling you have to go in. That dark feeling. Uurrgh. I still see his angry flexing face sometimes when i'm quietly waiting for a wave.
That would have been pretty sketchy getting in over the reef mate. Glad you got out of it ok!
Hoping the girl from Port is getting well.
Agree on the black feeling, intellect might say to override - but don't. Trust the feeling. They look quite magnificent when cruising in on a wave, my last little one came in at 45 degrees in the wave face. The Saffa guy who dives with them without cages reckons when the shark approaches, it always calculates a way out..
Bronzies can be so sketchy! A mate had a very similar experience at Lanno back beach once.
Now for that video:
whoops, that's Attack of the Choomahs Part 1. My bad, Try again:
hefty isn't it? Bonus footage is one in a salt creek in Massachusetts (1916 cluster there, including a creek, inspired "Jaws"):
good on you BD, and hope the Port couple are well & recovering.
Cheers for those links VJ. That's pretty crazy!!
Have we heard any news on the lady?
Saw interview with hubby.
Wow. Brave man.
Hoping for best for them both.
Sounds like caml at bluff.
Should put signs up where whales are burried.
Where is the bloke doing his PhD on it?
What size is a GWS when born?
There are a few points that haven't been brought up here.
Effectively humans changed the ecological balance with the GWS.
In the 70s there was a declining number of GWSs part of that was from hunting for recreational sport, commercial fishing techniques and the huge decline in whale population at the time: hence, protection made very good sense.
Additionally, the research leading up to the protection laws assessed that a female could only give birth one or two pups per year. That research has been proven incorrect. It is now believed that a female can produce multiple pups and those numbers are estimated to be between 5-20 per annum. Couple that to a huge increase in whale numbers depletion of tuna stocks (not tins in the supermarket) and we have created a plague.
It is a conundrum, because of course we don't want to affect the natural biosystem of the beautiful oceans we all love and enjoy; however, we must be mature enough to reassess the situation caused, and help to rebalance a very out of balance scenario. Dolphins, baby whales, dugongs are all suffering because of the huge increase in (especially) juvenile GWS attacks. It is important not to become to emotionally commitment to the status quo and to be pragmatic about the problem at hand. How we try to rebalance is the real question.
This problem won't go away on its own.
Great post standito
Thanks GF.
Agree, human fishing/whaling activities probably did contribute to declining numbers of GWS, but doesn't that suggest if numbers are actually increasing, we are simply witnessing the species' return to carrying capacity? Also agree to try and not become emotionally connected, and juvenile whales, dolphins, dugongs etc. are all prey. Nature can seem harsh through human eyes. It's possible that GWS exerts top-down predation pressure on those species (and others), which can be very important in maintaining trophic webs and balance (if there even is such a state, at a personal interest level, I'm a bit sceptical about the whole concept of equilibrium in natural systems at the moment).
Equilibrium in natural systems is a cultural construct employed by people to justify proactive curation of the environment around them. I’m not saying this is a good or a bad thing , only that the sense of equilibrium is an entirely subjective matter. There wasnt even such a thing as vertebrates until the relatively recent past on a broad scale view of history.
This isn’t a nihilistic perspective nor that of the anti-shark variety. It’s recognition of the fact that the web of natural systems are in constant flux and there is no right answer as to how nature should be anthropologically influenced beyond that which sustains humanity and enriches our lives.
Cheers for the thoughts on that
Great work guys...
Consider Mankind fails to build anything of worth that can repel Sharks!
Therefore everything we put in the Ocean attracts sharks!
From Weirs to Piers < > Breakwalls to Outfalls < > Boyz Toyz to Buoys
GWS may be dying off but we'll face more on our shore each day...durr!
Do we cut the crap by megalitres or by hour.
Choose Dredge or Sand Wedge.
Or reduce our shit by Tonnes or horsepower.
Only thing we know, is the more we encroach the more sharks appear.
tbb will bizarrely explain this anomaly...
All top predators Virus / Mosquitoes / Snakes / Dogs kill closer to CBD's
Prepare for Downunder Animal antics that mock our Ockerism.
We quarantine all overseas covid travellers in City Highrise... WTF?
SEQ spreads most OZ Mosquito disease (So Govt stacks SEQ-100 stories high.)
You are most likely to get bitten by a Snake in Aussie Cities than in the bush.
75 % of Dog attacks are upon man's best friend's & in their own properties
Humans are their own worst enemy...animals no longer laugh, but pray for us!
So now we weir rivers, reclaim swamps and build over beaches...
We finally reach the Shark Park and say...there are too many sharks?
Cue the Kookaburra!
Oops! So now our dumb arse Govt have a duty of care...
[ Fact ] Govt invite more Sharks everyday
[ Fact ] Shark mitigation has failed
[ Fact ] Shark Timetable is the last line of defence.
[ Fact ] Timetable is doable & affordable to patrol.
[ Fact ] We'll do Drone Patrols per Marginal Electoral Rolls.
Onshore rationing of Sharks DNA nutrients is unheard of...Just made it up!
Shark Culls can be done by filling in shallow seaboard saline lake Nurseries.
This would reduce the life giving regenerative charophytes DNA cereal.
Cons!
Black Swans would need relocating during flight feather regeneration.
Inshore stocks of regenerative species -Crustaceans, rays, would dwindle.
Sharks 'might' grow less Teeth (Half the Problem!) Still die if you see a fin!
Even then, it deals strictly with juveniles & sharks live for a long time! Sorry!
Hey DSDS interested in what sort of time frame you are thinking when talking about significant change?
I think the time/spatial scales are arbitrary and defined by whatever question is being asked.
Hey Standito not sure what you are saying that humans have done to increase the white shark numbers. Is it not killing them and not killing whales and depleting tuna stock ?
It's worth doing some research on the evolution of the current state of affairs re protection of GWSs and the knock on effect on the exponential numbers of encounters , sightings etc.
That will clarify those questions FBT.
Good on ya mate.
Hope that helps.
It's worth doing some research on the evolution of the current state of affairs re protection of GWSs and the knock on effect on the exponential numbers of encounters , sightings etc.
That will clarify those questions FBT.
Good on ya mate.
Hope that helps.
This attack highlights how ineffective the new NSW shark strategy will be. Increased drone surveillance will only cover popular swimming beaches. There won’t be surveillance of places like Minni Waters or Shelly Beach. Be better off with the chopper doing its lap up and down the coast like it used to do in the holidays plus more catch and release drum lines.
Not sure I want to contribute to this discussion for fear of abuse haha however I'm reading this and some are questioning why numbers are so large with GWS population and wondered if anyone knows the number of offspring a female GWS produces at birth?
Of course this would differ a lot however I heard that the number offspring can be up to 15-20 at a time!!!!! Can anyone shed light on this? I find that staggering if it were true.
Cheers
Thoughts are with the victim and family. Get well soon.
15-20! There are many embryos in the womb (50+ iirc) but they tend to eat each other while there, not all make it out.
Imagine if they are far, far more fecund than scientists thought, and are recovering quicker than everything else (whales,seals etc). Potential to turn marine ecosystem into aquatic version of Riddicks "Pitch Black"?
GWS around 1.5 m long at birth
A story on ABC yesday re Lomboks Shark Market..
Poor girl, must have been a terrifying experience! Great to hear how her man fought to save her. Time to do something folks! A dog that mauls or kills a human is euthanised, a shark that mauls or kills a human swims off on its merry way. I support the perspective that humans are to be valued more highly than animals, have dominion over the earth and that the ocean is human and shark territory (not just a shark's territory as boogie fever stated). Being the apex predator, its time to knock off man-eating-sized sharks and let humans complete their roll in the food chain leading to a happy ocean ecosystem and happy humans - win-win.
Length at birth very unknown some suggest 1.5m and have heard of bigger. 15 pups of Taiwan; https://people.com/pets/great-white-shark-record-breaking-babies-caught-...
Scientist hiding research to keep jobs - never!
Blue fin tuna in record numbers this year ask VIC fisho’s (when they were allowed to fish) acres and acres of 20-40kg fish for hundreds if not thousands of miles. Big ones now show up regularly of Sydney, was a rare catch in the past. Canery shut on south coast Oz salmon migrate to QLD again.
I think the fishery is in good shape thanks to our continential shelf and the law of the sea along with RFMO’s.
I must add if I can.
The numbers of encounters, attacks etc have definitely increased since the protection Act.
It baffles me, why we focus so much value, on a predator species, yet not care much for so,so many unobnoxious other creatures hunted and fished to extinction.
We as amphibious animals have the right to enjoy the largest environment on earth as much as any other creature. The tide has turned and we should have the courage to act on ammending our past legislation.
It's easy to be rightious and bold... However; when we are throwing dirt on our child, friend or family members casket.. We might see things differently.
"We as amphibious animals have the right to enjoy the largest environment on earth as much as any other creature. The tide has turned and we should have the courage to act on ammending our past legislation."
1. We are not amphibious: we do not have the capability to exist in a marine environment.
2. Those other creatures have a right to exist in their natural environment, but you are prepared to destroy them so you can go and have some fun.
For the record, I have surfed and enjoyed what the oceans have to offer for over 55 years. I have had my fair share of close encounters over that time and who knows how many more went unseen. Each time I enter the water it is with the full understanding of the risks involved. There is not much hope for humanity if you and others like you place a higher value on your recreation than other creatures on the planet. Next you'll be telling us how you are a true environmentalist.
If your fear of throwing dirt on a casket is so great then I suggest you start a campaign to eliminate to automobile: it has been responsible for the death and maiming of millions.
Once you knocked that one over, you can have a shot at gravity: it's bumped a few people off over the years as well.
Like so many others you exhibit a selfish obsession, which in order to maintain, are prepared to exterminate another creature.
Go surf a wave pool.
Thanks SD.
No I won't be surfing a wave pool in a hurry mate.
It's a very empassioned subject I realise.
However, to have an open discussion with out malice is important.
Otherwise we end up in dictatorships.. where people no longer speak or are allowed to participate in a democratic manner.
Over and out.
I'm going surfing brother.
Aloha.
Yep definitely agree that a disproportionate amount of focus (and resources) can be placed on some species, koalas spring to mind here but thankfully they are also an umbrella species, and inadvertently play a key role (arguably keystone) in protecting those less cute and attractive for conservation funding.
By amphibious are you referring to the aquatic ape hypothesis? That's a pretty contentious topic, irrespective, I'd argue that Homo sapiens are a terrestrial species, and our entries into the seas/oceans are non-essential for our survival. Human aquatic activities are largely for self indulgent purposes (I honestly can't think of a reason we go into the water for survival). Last part seems emotive to me and not entering in to that as per your previous advice.
Thanks Terminal.
Yes you are right mate.
I was a little emotive.. The young fella from Minnie was part of our local community.
It has knocked alot of the local kids for six.
Thanks for the comment brother.
I'm going surfing.
White Shark Lives Matter...
just taking the piss . Most of the gws sharks killed before the protection act was done by trophy hunters looking for a photo op with the beast strung up by the tail ,
Basically I don't think a cull would work given their widespread domain, and commercial fishos have no real market for them that would make them worth targeting , and I doubt sport fishos stringing them up like the old days would attract too many likes on instagram,,,,, unlike the front page local rag cover shot they might have got well over 20 years ago.
Heard Daniel Bucher from SCU on the ABC yesterday discussing the GWS shark population. He was referring to the CSIRO study from several years ago that was linked above plus the number of sharks being caught in shark nets to suggest the population is quite low and is not increasing. Which I reckon is just misleading.
The NSW Fisheries have been catching and releasing literally hundreds of GWS on the North Coast in the last few years. Surely they can use that data with the recapture rates to estimate the population? And why isn’t that data widely available.
"...And why isn’t that data widely available."
Agree .
Is there any way for the public to view any of this data?
Not just the drumline data, but the pinger data.
"Shark detected at..." sort means f.a.
An overlay of the drumline and pinger data would be handy.
Isn't this the second attack at Shelley over the past few years or within last 5 years?
Might be thinking of Ballina ones too.
Tadashi and another attack in the last 5- 6 years were at shelly beach Ballina
Third. 2009 2013
and maybe these two guys 2018?.....
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-07-15/erwan-ferrieux-french-backpacker-...
quite a few people that go missing in the ocean might have come to grief possibly by shark intervention.
Personally i think the government needs to get behind developing a shark deterrent, not just throw coins at the problem,real money... should have done that before whites were protected.....or some time over the last 20 years.
Well I'm hoping the woman is going to be OK, must have been horrific for her, and the bloke, well, he's nothing short of a legend for what he did and I hope he's going to be OK too. They should figure out a way to bottle his adrenaline gland and balls, because his levels must have been off the charts to do that.
I'm pretty disappointed, I have to say, that in getting to the bottom of the page I could count the condolences for the victim on one hand. 175 posts or so and the vast bulk of it's all about some bloke's trolling tendencies or otherwise and a whole lot of shark management speculation informed by anecdote. For my money, that's a shit show of disrespect to the victim of a shark attack. Fair enough to share stories but let's spare a thought for the poor buggers in the water, or is everyone becoming inured to shark incidents these days as suggested?
I reckon the fishos and divers have a lot to add to the debate, but they're a mixed bag of rational thinkers and outright fuckwits and you can't take their word for the state of play unless there's some consistency and rigour built into their observations. Everyone should do themselves a favour and do a bit of bloody reading about great whites. There's relatively little known about them - here's a good place to start - https://www.csiro.au/en/Research/Environment/Oceans-and-coasts/Sharks
Even if you're sceptical of the science underpinning the protection of the GWS, you're pushing it uphill to argue that the scientists are taking everyone for a ride. But if you are, why not invest a few minutes and do some homework. And if the rec/pro fishos know so much, how is it that Stockton was only really "discovered" as a land-based game fishing site and GWS nursery 15 years or so ago? Surely the fishos would have been onto it and talking it up. https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/topics/wildlife/2011/12/great-wh...
"the scientists are taking everyone for a ride", interesting that you bring that up. Could someone that does believe this explain why they believe this, i.e., what's the agenda? I'm asking seriously and with respect to your opinion.
Fishos have also been saying there's another GWS nursery further north, maybe based around Evans Head.
This theory is certainly supported by the current drum-line data.
fairly obvious somethings going on from woody head,aka 'shark bay' to south ballina.....lots of shallow water full of stingrays and jewfish and fairly well protected with offshore reefs.Good drop off spot for the pups .
Thats russhook territory ...any info russ ?
No Udo, the smallest white i've seen l hooked and caught off Angourie in the early 80's (pre protection regulation), was 5ft long and the size its jaws is so big compared to other sharks that size. In the last 3 weeks ive had 3 whites visual around the boat all teenagers and no more than 3mtrs long , l always wonder where the baby 4 and 5 footers are? l never see or hear of them , be interesting to know, oh yeh there is a dead whale on Plumbago beach talke care everyone.
While the great majority T&R are in the 2-3m range, note there are a handful that have been 1.5 to 1.8m odd. Very young, where were they dropped? Can’t have been far.
exactly. lots in that range being caught on the Evans drumlines.
Hope the lady and her partner make a full recovery and can get back into the water and aren't too traumatised.
I also believe that DPI should publish more data on the sharks they are tagging, the ones that are being pinged and also tracks of where they've been and are hanging around in near real time. I don't think they even list the shark number that was pinged now when they used to.
If they're getting the data why not share it.
Also could they not signal an LED on the shark buoys when a tagged one swims past?
Tango, good point about the condolences, the poor lady would have been very close to losing her life if it wasn’t for her partner’s actions. I’m not sure what her injuries are but no doubt they are severe and then possibly some mental traumas to deal with. Hope she recovers ok.
Blows me away how quick the media cycle picks up these events and then everything fades away leaving the victims families and the local communities to deal with it. Even the local Port Maq surf reports make no mention of the attack or the closed beaches.
Personally I’m not too worried by a shark attack but I do worry about my kids being in the water. Saturday, I wouldn’t have thought twice about a shark, clear water, small clean waves and could have quite easily ended up taking them to Shelly for a wave.
I've asked on this forum about the Ocean Guardian Surf+ shark deterrent specifically because I was thinking of getting one for my daughters board. I've read a bit about them that suggests they are at least partially effective, but don't see them discussed much... are they considered too heavy, don't work or maybe considered to be just for the paranoid or non-brave?
clean babyfood with sunshine, mid-morning.
It's just the time when you take the kids out.
Dorsalwatch report just in of school of sharks 4-5 ft long on inside of new Palm beach reef
Shark attacks pylon of Semaphore Jetty in Adelaide and shakes the jetty! Mistaken identity attack?
Jeepers!!
Mate, had plenty of fishos telling me lately about GWS interactions with pier pylons..
Such a distinct looking animal. I know the line gets trotted out ad nauseum but it’s hard to argue against the statement that they’re majestic to behold if you’re lucky enough to see one without it jeopardising the welfare of those present. Nature is amazing and the White shark is as impressive as it gets in my book.
Apparently there was a close call this arvo at shelley beach ballina,
Heard similar things Bongtom. Would put the house on broadwater to Evans or back snapper to woody. Apparently the old Evans shark Fisho use to do pretty well with gws at riodans and off broady before they came white privileged sharks (protected)
There are two competing narratives/theories in play here.
One narrative, which is the dominant one championed by most scientists in the field says white sharks are still endangered and very low in number, maybe even decreasing in numbers.
Their evidence relies on catch data from the QLD and NSW shark control programs (mostly netting data) and the CSIRO genetic study from 2017 which used a sample from 106 white sharks caught between 2000 and 2015.
The other narrative- which indicates increasing numbers of white sharks and thus increasing numbers of sightings/encounters/attacks relies on data from smart drum line tagging, aerial surveillance, actual increased numbers of encounters and attacks. It's now far more than anecdotal evidence from fishermen and surfers. There are real numbers behind it.
Competing narrative/theories can be judged at one important level by their predictive power.
Using the theory of gravity as an example. If I drop a ball, the predictive power is almost total that it will fall and hit the ground.
In the case of white sharks the predictive power advantage clearly belongs to the second narrative.
If white sharks were still rare or decreasing I'd have next to no chance of seeing one, or having an interaction or knowing anyone who has been attacked. They would be incredibly rare events.
I now know several people who have been attacked, and very, very many people who have had encounters, often multiple. Myself included. White sharks caught in drum lines is a daily occurrence, encounters are weekly and attacks, unfortunately have become monthly.
I know more people who have been attacked by white sharks than have had car accidents in the last 5 years.
At some point one of these competing narratives will have to be reworked, or abandoned in the face of the evidence.
Great points FR.
I'm leaning towards the latter also but the one thing that makes me think otherwise is the fact that these sharks 'seem' to be in nurseries in numbers but on particular beaches exclusively. I've mentioned before that I'm in Forster and that there is most definitely a nursery of Whites exclusively on Tuncurry Beach. I'm a photog and use the drone for seascapes but became almost obsessed by filming/photographing these juveniles in waist deep water with almost 100% success rate for any given day putting the drone up. Now head south from Tuncurry to the next surfing beach in the area, being One Mile Beach (2-3km as crow flies from Tuncurry Beach) and from all flights I've done with drone and DPI chopper posts on Dorsal app and I don't think I've seen this beach register a single White.
Someone mentioned further up about why the data of which shark is which (#) and where they have been/gone/spent most of their time isn't shared much with the public any more. I reckon this is key.
My point being, are there really that many whites or is it dependent on which beach you live near and how close to a GWS nursery you are. Are their thousands of them along the entire coast or just decent numbers at pockets along the coast?
I'd upload some cool footage/stills if I knew how. Last flight at Tuncurry a month or so ago I was low above a white and thought a nice reveal shot flying straight up to a height would be cool. It looked great but wasn't until I got home and looked at it on computer to see that I'd actually revealed 4 GWS in the one shot only 10m apart in 2-3m of water only 5m off the beachside of Tuncurry breakwall.
I'd love to see that footage, maybe email Stu or Ben and they can help you
Agree that numbers are up on Nth Coast. Booming in fact. Just wonder how numbers can have dissappeared completely from Capetown. They haven't been killed off so they went somewhere. Makes it hard to support any theory that world populations are increasing, (more likely on the move to wherever the food is as the ocean gets smaller and smaller for them foodwise) but definitely think they're clustering up your way. Did some research back a few years ago when they were first becoming a real problem up there. I looked into the abbatoir further upstream at Casino and if at all it could have any effect on the reason Ballina/Evans were having such high numbers.
At the time i firmly believed it was. Most of the numbers were around the entrances to the rivers, (the rivermouth at Evans being a tributary from the main Richmond river). Anyway, i looked further and discovered that Casino's abbatoir had employed a new way of getting rid of their waste water from cleaning the cow carcasses. Incidentally, they slaughter 2000 cows per day. Most abbatoirs store the waste water in vats and let the sun evaporate the majority of it, whilst there is some that hardens up. But Casino, along with Southern Cross uni were undergoing a new 'trial' of pumping all the waste water onto the land to provide irrigation for something they were planting, which i can't remember. The abbatoir sits 3km from the river. Might seem a long way, but when you get those massive rains up there, everything heads into that river. Couple that with whatever is escaping in the small drains etc on that property, and you can guarantee you have a constant drip feed of blood and guts heading, only one way, downstream. I firmly believe that the chum was getting spat out of the entrances to the river arousing the curiosity of any passing Pointers. It's an observed fact that blood in the water can induce a hunting/feeding mechanism in the shark, hence, i think these sharks were coming into the beaches adjacent to the mouth of the river, all juiced up and on high alert for food, yet no food was there, only surfers.
Anyway, i sent all my research and links off to heaps of crew. The major of Ballina (heard nothing back), the Byron shire council, (heard nothing back), the Greens party....whom i did hear back from and Mareen Faruqi got back in touch with me and promised she'd raise my it in parliament as she believed it was highly likely this was possible.
I tried a couple of surf journos who weren't interested, however Fred Pawle at the Australian seemed to think there could be something in it too.
I also rang the abbatoir pretending i was a uni student and tried to press them for info on when the trials started and if they thought the blood could be getting into the river. At first the guy i talked to was helpful until i asked these questions...he went from being the guy i should ask questions to, to palming me off to another guy who's number didn't work.
Anyway, that's just my observations, and that's from back then. Maybe things have changed now, however i thought it's something that crew up that way might want to investigate. I could be way off track, i'm not a scientist and i don't know how many particles stay in the water over the journey of 70 odd k's downstream, however, the more i looked, it seemed the more i found it was a very possible contributor.
Cheers and stay safe up there crew.
Edit: Just looked back through notes from the research i did and it seems Southern Cross Uni were called in to plant trees because the soil was so badly contaminated from the waste water being poured onto it. They were asked to plant reeds that might help 'suck' up some of the water. So yeah, the soil was obviously heavily toxic....
“The reuse of wastewater and effluents for irrigation can result in excessive nutrient build-up in the soil, in particular significant amounts of nitrogen, phosphorus and organic carbon, but also sodium, which over time may cause land degradation and water pollution,” said agronomist Professor Rose. http://geteducation.com.au/plants-help-clean-meatworks-wastewater/
Couple of small things BD.
Evans River is not a tributary of the Richmond, it is completely cut off from the Richmond by flood/sluice gates. So, no possible flow from Casino Abattoir.
3 k from river and 70 k downstream is unlikely to be a cause, especially during dry winter and spring months when whites are most prevalent here.
but rivers do flush down food, and attract sharks, no doubt.
Thanks for that info Freeride. Didn't know that. Would be interesting to have hard data on how often those flood gates are opened and closed, and if there is some seepage.
Yeah the k's and distance are significant, but also, 2000 beasts slaughtered daily is no small number.
Agree, winter is when higher populations, however, doesn't discount possibility that there is/was a constant flow year round and therefore bringing them in closer during winter months.....i do remember a 24 hour 300mm downpour in July.....
Cheers for your feedback and hopefully i'm wrong and there's nothing coming out of that river that should be of any concern to you, or the crew up there.
3-4 million litres of waste water per day / 200 acres of cropping..
I don't mean to discount entirely your theory BD, it's deffo worth looking into.
Gates between Richmond and Evans are never opened.
not many people know that.
All good FR. I'm just trying to do my bit to help. I've got alot of friends and loved ones that surf the breaks around that river. Just couldn't sit on my hands and do nothing about it, and the obvious point of reference to work back from has been the river considering the amount of sightings and attacks close to it.
I just had a look at this website regarding the Evans river, and i found this.
'The small coastal catchment of the Evans River is connected to the Richmond River at Woodburn by a canal. This canal is operated to mitigate flooding and improve drainage in the mid-Richmond River area. The Evans River flows for around 20 kilometres and enters the ocean at Evans Head.'
I don't really know if that means they open it, but i'd assume they would in major flooding? I lived In Wardell for 6 months on the river when the Lismore floods happened and the river was swollen for a long time after that. Would have thought they'd open it in those situations at the very least to ease some of the buildup further upstream.
Thanks again for the feedback. Much appreciated.
Whoops. Forgot the link.
https://www.industry.nsw.gov.au/water/basins-catchments/snapshots/richmo....
Just trying to make an honest buck...and all
https://www.theland.com.au/story/4203505/future-in-abattoir-effluent-asset/
Putting the tin foil hat on one might venture the scientists are keeping schtum about the data because they are staggered at the numbers they are seeing. Thus screwing narrative #1.
Out of a total 13 species caught in the T&R program, GWS comprise 60% odd of the total. Amazing figure.
Note the DPI site has not been updated since March.
"Keeping schtum about the data" I take as essentially falsifying data, if a scientist does this and is caught it's game over in that career.
I don't suggest conspiracy.
Science moves slowly and scientists get very attached to their pet theories or the prevailing orthodoxy.
There's also a lot of advocacy involved, which is a strong motivating force for scientists working in that field.
'Science moves slowly and scientists get very attached to their pet theories or the prevailing orthodoxy'.
That's a very pertinent point, and as much as i respect the scientific method, this will always be a factor. i work with Marine Scientists , i would like to believe they are above bias it's just not the case, and sometimes policy is made on dubious method, just like all of us, we are beholden to our biases
Back in the 70s and 80s we were doing a lot of spearing from the tweed down to coffs but mainly around Byron to evans stretch of coast .Saw a lot of sharks from bronzies,bulls and sandbar sharks but only ever one large white at Byron.....only one...at times we would trail a rope from the back of the boat and get dragged along to cover lots of ground when the viso suited, did this around the reefs south of Evans which are quite large but never saw a white......mainly because they were a rarity unlike now.
Dan K makes a good point about certain beaches but encounters are widespread ....probably young ones stay in certain areas but at some point leave the nursery to find larger source of food.....heard they grow a foot a year ,which if true is a scary thought.
Great White Shark Pup off the Aegean coast of Turkey - Vimeo
Female 850 mm long weighs 12 kgs approx 4 days old
Link wouldnt work goofyfoot...
working fine this end ;-)
Geez I can't believe they didn't drown it in that tarp without flowing water thru the gills.
I agree with a lot of the comments above - these issues are always far more complex than many would like to believe, but it seems pretty clear that the scientists who know about GWS (and the government) need to explain how their research and management does/doesn't address the issues being observed by others. No good just ignoring it while people are getting buzzed or worse.
I read somewhere recently that it's something like 50-96% decline of GWS in the Med with respect to location.
Several shark sightings off Port Macquarie since Saturday and beach closures. Be keen getting in the water.
Drone footage of a GWS on Dorsal, plus the DPI receiver at Lighthouse keeps pinging.... is it one shark, several sharks? Don’t know why DPI can’t just have a website showing that data.
That lighthouse receiver is a turnstile for whites, it never stops pinging. I’d think they run around the corner investigating around the shoals and rocks of Miners and Shelly’s before cruising by Nobby’s and Flynn’s up to the deep hole between Bird rock and Oxley’s which pools all the bits and pieces from the outgoing tide of the river.
When I first moved here I used to think it was such a waste to have all those coves and bays with pretty much no waves, but when you see the local marine environment movements it’s probably just as well.
geeze even at that size they could take a chunk........great sluething udo and thanks for putting it up goofyfoot...have to show udo how to copy and paste.
Article contains some of the ping data. Big numbers.
https://www.coastalwatch.com/surfing/26094/sean-doherty-smart-drumlines-...
Sharks have always been attracted to river systems and they are a constant source of food,always have been and judging by the records from wiki that go way back it shows that you took your life in your hands just wading in the shallows back then....interesting reading....seems like time of day dosent matter and whites were alive and well in the rivers back then.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_shark_attacks_in_Australia
white definitely don't go in the rivers now, well not the Richmond anyhow. Lots and lots of bull sharks there, especially during minor or major flood events, and just residents bulls.
amazing none of the backpackers surfing in front of Missingham have been chomped.
I've been aggressively bumped at south wall surfing dirty water during mullet season.
When does a lake/estuary become a river?
Going by your comment I guess you're referring to the brackish sections and why you mentioned Bulls? (sorry, not familiar with Richmond River). Our Wallamba River is heavily brackish and I'd agree I wouldn't imagine Whites venturing that far up (at a guess probably a good 5km journey from mouth of Forster break wall). They definitely do come in to the lake and harbour though and have been spotted dozens of time on the southern side of Forster/Tuncurry Bridge.
Here's a link to a drone clip I shot of a White searching for a Kingfish carcass (which it eventually finds) directly off the fish cleaning tables near the bridge. This is a daily occurrence for a heap of Nurse Sharks and becoming regular with these juvenile whites too now. Such an easy feed, especially in the holidays with all the fishos cleaning their catch all day.
https://www.facebook.com/555415001237221/videos/500713827144669
Wow. Amazing footage Dan K. Super interesting seeing their behaviour inside the estuary. I think there was/is one that was living in Lake Macquarie for a while too.
Cheers mate.
They are truly fascinating. Here's another link to a water shot I got that I'd wanted to get for a while that in hindsight wasn't my brightest idea.
https://www.facebook.com/somethingvisualnsw/photos/a.562266217218766/222...
Scroll across on this link to see the ones after.
https://www.facebook.com/somethingvisualnsw/photos/pcb.2227409767371061/...
Insane pics mate.
How stoked he looks carting off his fish frames.
You're more game than me to get in the water with it. That whack with the tail would definitely be a reality check.
Cheers for sharing.
Was at Wooli yesterday, was told by a long time local there has been a 3m GWS hanging around since the attack there, and few of his mates had photos he saw of it checking them out fishing in tinnies. Also had a go at a spear fisher and now has a spear in it's back.
Plenty of Great White action still around Port Macquarie.
https://www.portnews.com.au/story/6892018/increased-shark-activity-promp...
Detailed article on the shark attack in Port. Her partner was pretty amazing, laying into a shark for 10 seconds. Not really a bite and let go type attack, shark must have been pretty committed.
Still continued Great White action in Port. Spear fishers chased out of water the other day at Flynns and the Town Beach was closed due to a White circling a couple guys in the water today.
Not a good time of year for sharks and hopefully there are no more attacks....
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/27/chantelle-doyle-aust...
Was up at crescent last week and surfing some of the back beaches down as far as Queens/Point Plomer, didn’t see any sharks this time (have been chased out of the water at delicates before) but marine life was full on, big bait balls everywhere, pods of 20 plus dolphins cruising them, birds diving and whales to boot. Not surprised there is Increased reporting on sharks, hopefully well fed though...
For all those wondering on her recovery, here's an article from the Guardian today.
What a top chick she sounds like, and her fella too.
Really sending the good vibes that the leg heals well for Chantelle and that they both find their way back into the water soon.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/aug/27/chantelle-doyle-aust...
Thanks for sharing.
Dan k unreal drone footage..what size do think that Juvenile was ...2.5 mt ?
Thanks Udo,
Yeah I reckon you're on the money. Bigger than 2 but no bigger than 2.5
Here's a clip a couple months back of my mate spearing end of break wall. Has a juvenile come up and investigate him, he still still keeps diving and shoots a jew and then carnage follows. At one stage you see another dive float being smashed on the surface as well as another juvenile swim straight past their boat in the same shot. This is all in the middle of the day, crystal clear water with a peanut gallery watching from the rocks. Part of me would love to know how many are residing here now, then the other part that enjoys surfing and diving doesn't want to know.
https://www.facebook.com/emily.farr.35/posts/2994628080583970
Great footage Dan. Very inquisitive aren’t they.
1.67 m GWS tagged and release 7 mile beach / Lennox today
Smallest yet along that stretch of coast ?
Far out RIP
Man dies after horror shark attack at Tuncurry Beach
https://www.news.com.au/national/nsw-act/news/man-in-critical-condition-...
Almost a year to the day...