Man injured in shark attack at Crescent Head
A man has been injured in a suspected shark attack on the New South Wales Mid North Coast.
NSW Police said the man, believed to be aged in his 20s, was attacked by a shark while surfing at Crescent Head Beach about 4.30pm.
The recovered surfboard had a large chunk out of it. (Facebook: TheCrescentHeadSantaSurf)
In a statement, police said the victim was helped from the water and was being treated for a serious arm injury.
The man is expected to be flown to John Hunter Hospital.
The beach has been closed by Surf Life Saving NSW.
The injured surfer receiving medical attention in a beachside park. (Facebook: TheCrescentHeadSantaSurf)
//ABC Mid North Coast
© Australian Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved.
Comments
Looks like the Westpac rescue chopper just left Crescent half an hour ago (can see on Flightracker Apps). Landed at Port Mac airport.
suspected shark attack........doh....heal well mate
holy fuck. thats a fucking chomp. hopefully he comes out of ok!
what other suspects are there?
Such a clean bite......Looks like the noah aimed for his target with commitment
Hope the victim pulls through...
Yeah, hopefully there hasn't been too much damage done. All the best mate.
-1 for shark eyes perhaps?
They aren't shark eyes, and on the wrong side.. Shark eyes are much bigger.
Outer Island logo.
Stand corrected. Thanks gents.
I got Shark Eyes on all my boards. Were there eyes on the bottom of the surfboard. Hope the surfer recovers quickly.
I've done the same. Since putting them on I've noticed a few others surfers with them also.
That’s a big mouth
Thats a little fella...
2 and a half to 3 ?
And I was just telling the missus how safe Crescent was as we plan our holiday there for later this year. Hope the chappie pulls through. Time to cull methinks (cue outrage and more personal attacks from you know who).
Surfed there yesterday, and it didn't remotely have a sharky vibe. And that was with a weird, guttery lineup pushing very wide of the point and out to the beach.
Hope the fella is OK.
How much of the lack of sharky vibe is due to lots of surfers and a full carpark do you think? I reckon if you pulled up to a similar, but unfamiliar and deserted spot anywhere else you’d sense it.
Often murky water, gannets diving all the time, tuna shooting through the line up, brown creek feeding into the foot of the point. Most exposed point after a long, heavily guttered beach Even sitting out past that weird surge rock out the back is a pretty daunting position. The times I’ve been there it’s seemed like a lot of bait holds in the lee of the point. Natural respite before and after the long swim up the beach I guess.
The dozens of people in the break make it seem too normal for anything bad to happen.
I'd say your right re: the crowd factor. I travelled the length of SA once and the only time I felt some comfort was J-Bay of all places. Not even close to being non-sharky but the crowd gives you comfort.
... was the right any good? Is there still a left there.
Plenty of sharks at Crescent Head and surrounding beaches. Seen them on more than one occasion and one swim right under us at the beach beach there.
Hope you are ok young man!
Crescent is a regular Dorsalwatch Pinger
Pointers pinging in December
Been a white pinging on Dorsal at Crescent several times in the last week - wonder if it is the same shark pinging. I think we have said this before but it would be good if Dorsal identified the shark so you could understand if one is hanging around, or moving past, and perhaps identify if the same shark has been in the area of various bites.
Big bite in that board. Doesn't look like a curiosity nibble. Scary stuff. Hope the fella is ok.
Yep, DPI needs to give this data out and as I've said before get the Smart buoys to ping a light if a shark is detected.
Wishing you a speedy recovery Joe
Shark attack news is never any good. Sorry to hear. Hope all is well.
What I dont get. Humans are prepared to devastate each other and mother earth.
You mention possibly thinning out a human predator (mistaken attack or not) who knows?
You may as well claim to be the devil himself.
Thin the fuckers out. Its not like we save them we save ourselves. We are looking at wiping out the existence of mankind faster than any generation before us.
Yet mankind has a soft spot for every other creature. Who are we kidding?
Speedy recovery.
If underground land sharks existed and ate your friends/family/fellow surfers by jumping up from under the ground while you were doing your favourite land sport... and it happened repeatedly over a the last couple of years from the QLD border to mid NSW...
Do nothing (tagging), or do something?
The Aussie fisherman know about what has happened (huge increases of large sharks) the last 20 or so years since protection and also know that they were previously partly responsible for keeping things in order. It was and would be an infinitesimally small proportion of the oceans current factory fleet ship take everything living rape-age to keep them under control. "Fish" and chips.
Jeez what an awesome trophy for the pool room though. The most classic perfect board bite or what.
Yes and no Mate......probably the only bloke who cannot play pool will be the poor bloke who owns the "trophy"
An old friend lost his life at Crescent recently. Broke his neck and drowned. The word shark gets everyone frill neckin’. An inordinate number of serious injuries I’ve seen in over 45 years of surfing have been in small/tiny innocuous waves. I think we surfers tend to dismiss the inherent dangers of our lifestyle all too easily. RIP.
Spot on Bob. I got hit in the throat yesterday by some older bloke as he lost control on the take off at Scotts Head. I tried to paddle wide but his board came from out of the whitewash and nearly took my head off. I seriously thought i was going to die and put my hand to my throat expecting blood and punctured throat. I must be tougher than I give myself credit for as i was OK and it's just a bit sore this morning. Could have ended badly, and a timely reminder of just how dangerous surfing can be, especially with the holiday crowds. Sharks are the least of my worries.
Such a big bite . Only big adults sharks seem to attack surfboards and dead whales! Wish the buggers could distinguish the two. Both mainly white, still and easy prey. Hope the young bloke recovers well.
Claims the shark responsible was a 3m pointer. That’s not a big adult shark.
I think there’s a closer correlation between sharks predating on dolphins in an area and attacks on humans as much as anything else. I don’t think it’s mistaken identity, just experimentation of varying food sources.
I used to routinely paddle out there pre dawn with a mate to miss the crowd and ride it in rainy misty southerlies sometimes with only a few out. It "felt" pretty safe. On a warm sunny day, I gave no thought to sharks. That was before I had a clue as to how many GW were in the area.
Any update on the young fella's condition? Hope he's going to pull through.
booman, i agree...in the 80's i lived in sw victoria and a commercial fisherman told me they used to cull all the baby whitey's in their nets and they reckon the continental shelf down that way is a nursery for them.
then the expert beauracrats told them "endangered" species so they set them free now, he was spewin cos every time they hauled their nets in there were heaps of bubba whitey's.
he said "they are not going extinct, and all the ones they release how big will they be in 20yrs!!"
no bull true story.
Did the SA gillnet fleet move to Bass Strait mid 2000s as I remember someone saying. Is it still in the Strait? Anyone know?
It's beyond a joke when places we used to consider safe are shark attack sites - Greenmount not long ago and now Crescent. What warped mind(s) decided that sharks have a right to kill/attack humans and there be no consequences for the attacker? Hopefully sensible fishermen are still killing baby whites found in their nets, happy, it's the only way some sense of sanity will prevail.
D Rex obviously rides a soft top between the flags whilst wearing a mouth guard , helmet and life jacket.
Probably even got an EPIRB on one leg and a dive knife*on the other.
*Blunted edge for safety.
Vic Hislop said it over 20 years ago now - protect the shark (GW and Bulls) would see more sharks and more attacks....nailed it!!!!!!!!....why don't people listen to someone who has half a clue.
Not sure the fella who claimed to have the shark that ate Harold Holt would be someone you'd describe as having half a clue mate. I agree though, the old school fishos are not taken seriously as a source of information
lol never heard that one....who knows, perhaps he pulled a pair of sluggos out of the gut of a shark and they just happened to have a name tag on them saying H Holt.....play "Twilight Zone" music
Very sad news - hope he can recover, all our nightmares.
Can we place a hold on unleashing the fishing industry to solve this problem? Victoria hasn't had a confirmed fatal shark attack since 1956, and we know the main reason the many bronze whalers and whites around aren't biting us is because they have no shortage of food.
Delivering herds of australian fur seals to northern nsw might not work but surely if the sharks were eating better they'd be taking less chomps at random humans.
Did Hislop say that ?
sbsb - C Robertson 1977 - Death by shark attack ?
Here we go - another self defence option - a chain mesh long cuff glove - to have stuffed down the back of your wetsuit or in a bum bag ready to slip on and have at least one means to fend off a shark:
https://www.marssafety.com.au/~266
Maybe a step to far and of little use in a surprise attack but it is also weird to be close to defenseless in the water and accept that as how it is.
A fella died whilst surfing just up the other end of the same beach not that long ago. Amount of concern from surfers on these forums…..zero.
What’s the difference?
The difference is one bloke died surfing in a non shark related incident , whilst another bloke got badly injured because of a shark. And everyone seems to thing the latter is a justification for killing fish swimming around the ocean just to make surfers feel safer.
How many people have been killed by sharks around Crescent in the last 50 years? Fuck all.
“But , but…..if an animal did this on the land we would cull them!” Yeah, unless you haven’t noticed, the land and our land of d animals are in a state of desperate decline. The land is fucked…..let’s take that mentality to the oceans! Let’s not just kill fish for food, let’s kill fish so humans can go play splash splash without having to encounter nature in the process.
The area around Crescent is no more or less dangerous the day after an attack than the day before an attack when everyone had their little false sense of security blanket.
If you’re scared of fish then stay out of the water.
Chances of being injured at Crescent when some gronk bails their board into your face is 5,000,000,times more likely than getting bitten by a shark. Does this mean we should cull gronks? They appear to be increasing in numbers way faster than sharks.
Like this Blowin and agree just note probability is low until the attack then its binary.
Hope the young bloke is OK and recovers shout out to anyone who stayed and helped him in.
My feelings exactly.
Yes, we need to train the Sharks to eat the gronks. And then train Koala's to attack Politicians.
I'm all for a Gronk cull!
But seriously, hope the young fella comes out alright, and still has a useable arm.
Has there been any information on whereabouts on the point the attack occurred? Out the back, middle or inside section?
It seems most attacks are happening when there is actually a few surfers around. The sharks aren't just biting the first person they see. Potentially moving past many others before something triggers the behaviour.
Or maybe I'm just trying to comfort myself as I surf alone a lot.
safety in numbers for me.
but yeah, that is probably just an illusion.
If I had to hazard a guess, I’d say the sharkiest parts of that place are the deeper, wide zone between the point and the track where one sort of ends and the other sort of starts , what you might call the middle, for whites and the river murk for bulls.
Shit could happen anywhere easily enough though.
Greenmount most crowded break in the free world. Lifeguards on the beach, ambos less than 2 mins away & hospitals 5 mins away.
The bloke who was swimming 30m off Clarke’s beach, dead flat sun overhead.
Can happen anywhere.
Can anyone remember a longboarder being attacked? Seems to always be short boards and boogers. Maybe the juvenile whites won’t go something that looks bigger than them? Just a thought
Female at the Wategos got slammed from underneath- Mal broken in two.
Shit! When was that Udo?
http://sharkattackfile.net/spreadsheets/pdf_directory/2015.01.19.a-Ellis...
Yesterdays was a mini mal length board ?
Interesting mate. Wonder if that was a shark or not. Def yesterday looked like a mid length
Stating the obvious here but the surfing population has exploded massively in the 10 or so years. More human in the water equals more attacks..
South Oz and SW WA have surfing populations probably three or four times the size that they did during the clusters of attacks in those zones during early 2000’s.
No, more sharks in the water means more attacks
It seems the attacks are happening at crowded spots rather than uncrowded. All those dangling legs, wee and body oils acting more like burly. Maybe when surfing by your self you resemble some flotsam floating around and not that appetizing. When i've seen sharks fishing and surfing they came for a look and then kept on their way.
crowded, uncrowded etc etc.
at first I thought a small group was most likely to be hit.
Tadashi was in a small group, as were several others , including the fatal at Minnie Water last year.
Seems whites don't mind picking someone out of a crowd either.
see Greenmount, Cresso .
Sounds like a serious injury, here's hoping he gets to keep that arm for future endeavours.
That's quite a chunk out of the surfboard! Can anyone provide a health report on the shark? Did he spit it back out and did they find the other piece? God help him if he swallowed that much toxic foam and glass.
(And fingers crossed that the human recovers well.)
Thanks Philosurphizing! :)
Scared of sharks???
Stay out of the water, Surf in the wavepools.....
was solo surfing far west vic few weeks ago and just as a lul happened I turned my back and had a large white submarine charging in a line straight at me pushing water up like a snowplow, from about 7m away roughly at sprinting speed. Then when it got to 3m away it went under water and I had started paddling in along the edge of the reef shelf which is very sketchy in a 6ft swell and I had no idea where the shark was at this point and I made it to shore fine. A guy who had made the 2hr drive down the coast from torquay said he had checked everywhere and this was the only place handling the size and he had already suited up and I said to him ill wait 30 min with you till the shark moves on and we can head out together but he couldn't justify it with his 4 kids. hanging around another 30min 3 large sperm whales were spotted breaching out to shore which signalled activity, but the surf was pumping and as people started to rock up the 4 of us all convinced ourselves it was worth going back out, once out there we spotted a school of salmon with bird feeding frenzy going on just 20m from us but the waves were too fun to go in so we just huddled together and tried our hardest to block it out of our minds.
Jeezus!
willi
enjoy your posts and you seem to be charging it like a young fella should - reminds me of some of the sketchy paddles I did alone in my 20s - but that was one of your nine lives brother
Stupidity !
Shout out to the bravery of his rescuers
Pretty fortunate crew to have on the beach.
https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2021/07/06/shark-attack-crescent-head/
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... Mr Hoffman said Joe had managed to get himself to shore where, as if miraculously, off-duty medical professionals were able to help.
“(I) can’t believe how lucky he was,” Mr Hoffman told Sunshine Coast News.
“Trauma surgeon, a doctor and a nurse were on the beach as if waiting for him.”
“Apparently a (trauma) doctor, he made a call to Newcastle because he knew what was going to happen, and they organised the (Westpac Rescue Helicopter) to come in ...
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Would be handy to know the back story of The Westpac chopper, like where did it fly from and how long it took to get to Crescent Head and how long it then took to get the fella to Newcastle Hospital.
How’s the crowd numbers today in the water there?
Saw it around mid day today....20 or so guys out.
From the above story : “ Crescent Head is a drone pilot training base for Surf Life Saving NSW and drones have been undertaking surveillance flights of the area from first light”
I guess that’s a stark illustration of the limited scope of drones as a preventative measure.
I saw a big shark out at Crescent point around Easter time. I made my way in and spoke to the drone pilot, asking if he'd seen anything. He seemed surprised and told me that they only keep an eye on the beach area, near the flags. He had to bring the drone back in and change the battery before he could go and fly it out towards the point.
"For a terrible situation, it was almost the perfect storm in terms of the expertise on the ground," Inspector Bourke said.
He said doctors with trauma experience administered first aid using a "makeshift tourniquet" out of a surfboard leg rope.
"Those initial efforts of those people have certainly gone a long way to saving this young man and potentially saving his arm," he said.
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-07-06/surfer-expected-to-make-full-recovery-after-shark-attack/100269826
In this instance it was a legrope, but I still highly recommend having a Shark Attack First Aid Kit. Sits next to my wetty tub.
Stu - Interested to know if you leave it in the car? Or sit it on the beach somewhere?
I have a tourniquet, but haven’t got into the habit of jamming it in my wetsuit or leaving it on the beach. Worth mentioning I surf SE QLD points and beaches, so the crowds provide a sense of security (an irrational thought, I know).
I leave it in my car. At the two places that make up 90% of my sessions it's a stone's throw from the carpark to the shoreline. Also, I couldn't lock the rear door of my last car and most crew I surf with knew that so they could also access it.
Recently got myself a new(-ish) car that locks (!) but, like I said, it's still in easy access.
I also plastered Shark Eyes on all the boards I surf the most.
Well played. It sounds like you’re much further down the road of acknowledging, accepting and dealing with the risk than those I surf with.
I thought all Doctors and Nurses carried a Proper First Aid Kit
[Hospitable kitted out]
And had this had happened at the Pass...there may not have been a legope close by to use..
Wear a Legrope Hipsters
amazing how many times there just happens to be a doctor or nurse in the vercinity at the time
Maybe it's just me but that board looks like an over sized Rapala fishing lure.
wasnt the only interaction with another white yesterday.......from Beachgrit
Around the same time, BeachGrit writer, commenter of note, Surf Ads, a couple of hours south, fled the surf when another surfer was bumped by a shark of considerable girth and unknown intent.
Thats referring to Forster Tuncurry attack .
I think they were saying it happened the same day. ie yesterday
Yes
Note to self-- Dont speed read.
Was up at Old Bar and thinking of going to Crescents that day, brother talked me out of it, lucky us.
Joe was attacked whilst duckdiving a wave.
Fundraiser in Lennox with the aim of raising enough money to purchase ten Public Access First Aid Kits to be installed in strategic locations on beaches.
https://events.humanitix.com/shark-attack-public-access-to-first-aid?fbc...
This is a great initiative and well done to those involved in taking matters into their own hands.
However, I can’t help but feel a sense of anger and frustration that this will be funded by a small local community when there is a significant amount of money being thrown into the NSW Shark program and not a whole lot of clarity in regards to where the money is spent.
John Cohen will be there giving training in use of equipment/technique to keep someone alive in case of shark bite.
Time to roll out the smart drumlines.Do the eyes on the bottom of your board have any scientific trial evidence that they actually prevent a GWS attack??? Hopefully a quick & successful recovery Joe!
100% success rate during my current 6 month trial. I haven't been bitten once.
Croc's in the tropical north have had an explosion in population to the point where you can't go into the water anywhere without risking your life since their protection. Seems to me that eventually the same will happen in relation to the GWS being protected on the coastline! Are we all going to be forced to go surfing in wave pools due to the risk of going into the oceans for a surf, swim,dive etc???
That is the corporate master plan. Free waves are an abomination to those who worship the God called Montetisation.
Thats some sound logic there Greg.....
the swellnet brains trust to the rescue.
Another white shark attack, lucky guy, speedy recovery. Lots of post-attack comments but nothing seems to change. Hate to say it, but its just a matter of time until the next one.
saw a shark while surfing at CH point back in early may. fyi safety in numbers
Have a 18 year old daughter going to Crescent for a girls surf camp on the weekend, can’t talk her out of it, I have surfed for 40 years and never seen a shark. It can happen anywhere anyway. I don’t know what the answer is, cull but is that fair, you want to surf you take the risk, plenty have given it up especially those that fish too, it’s like everything people think it won’t happen to them.
One thing for sure it’s only going to get worse, heaven help those surfing in 20 years time. I won’t be.
We cull roos, koalas and brumbies but don't dare suggest we add GWS to the list. Just take your medicine and/or hope someone else cops it. FYI Blow Boy I ride a blow-up SUP (you should get one for the irony if nothing else) and am damn proud to admit it.
Maybe we are restoring the ecosystem to what it was
Maybe we are making a new ecosystem by protecting some species, but allowing fishing on others - maybe we are picking winnners. Look at time-dwarfism on pink snapper in Cockburn sound for example... (delicious! Still fished quite a lot!)
FR might know - are all species rising in numbers? Is this just a thing for the marine parks? Is the ocean being pillaged outside these parks? Are increasing GWS numbers displacing other species of shark? Are we seeing increased predation of inshore dolphins? Etc Etc. None of this has anything to do with the sensation of being alone out in the water or realising risks involved, these are all questions of the intellect. Tim Flannery posited that all Australian landscapes are man-made. Is it too far a stretch to say we make (or break) the nearshore ecosystem as well?
All really good questions VJ.
I have some knowledge, I'll share when I get a chance.
Cheers FR that would be appreciated.
So heavy.
It’s young Joe Hoffman.
He is a very keen and competent surfer from the Sunshine Coast.
He was riding a very distinctive Outer Island Super Mal surfboard I made for his dad years ago which has become Joe’s favourite ride. He was duck diving a wave when the shark struck. Fortunately the first responders were trained medical people who applied a makeshift leg rope tourniquet to his badly injured arm. His left forearm was broken in the impact of the shark and his bicep is pretty mangled. He was airlifted to John Hunter hospital in Newcastle on dusk. He was in a stable condition and underwent surgery last night. I spoke to his parents last night and they were very shaken but optimistic. They are flying down to Newcastle this morning.
At this time he's undergone several rounds of surgery. The fate of his arm still hangs in the balance.
Hopefully the surgeons can perform a miracle, as they often do.
Sending out good vibes and wishes to Joe
Thanks for the update M.R.
Apparently another very close encounter in the Forster area yesterday.
What happened in the close encounter?
yeah thanks MR.
lets hope he gets to keep his arm.
All the very best from the surfing community Joe.
there goes the theory that they only ambush from behind.
this one hit front three-quarters during a duck dive.
Does anyone know if the shark was sighted before or after the attack?
Did it attack when he was duck-diving white wash on the inside? Or was he just duck-diving through an unbroken swell wide on the point?
Just got back from the Crescent region, a few of the local fellas were saying it's been really spooky for the last couple of weeks, lots of marine life around.
I surfed a nearby spot the morning after the attack with just one other bloke, but then a few crew came down and by the afternoon it was pretty busy, and a similar pattern followed over the next few days. I only checked Crescent once (other than when I surfed it, the arvo before) and it remained reasonably well populated. So, the attack didn't seem to deter many people from the water (though, quality waves have a habit of doing that).
Surfed late yesterday and ended up alone at the end of one of the nearby points, and it was indeed very eerie.
Stoked to hear Joe is on the mend.
Here's his gofundme for hospital costs for crew who have the means and want to help out.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/joe-hoffmans-shark-encounter-recovery?member=...
what hospital costs?
Meant recovery costs. Apologies.
fair enough
Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 - time to review / revise / change
Here's a few facts after living and breathing shark problems as a job ....30 yrs commercial fishing mackay to torres straits line fishing for coral trout an some yrs chasing spanish mackerel extended trips of ove 3 months 250 days a year at sea processing filliting an freezing on board unloading to cairns based mother ships which would bring fuel , water and stores .firstly the eyes are fairy dust they dont make any difference....its a gimmick ...the magnets on your ankle more fairy dust ...when you are processing they fight over scrapes eat your fenders and ram you outboard motors as we have 5 5mtr dorys strung out behind the main vessel which we fish out of 1 line 1 hook hand pulling fish they bight your dory tow ropes ...the cure shoot a couple fear of coming to close to boat keeps them away they learn quick like any animal ..this is how the electronic deterrents work it triggers an unsafe environment reaction ....its got to the stage where sharks think a boat means food with the increased rec fisherman berling up and using light gear atracting sharks to boats the increase in numbers from no commercial shark fishing and SHARK PROTECTION PROGRAMS so some fuking non productive desk with out any realworld skill can he is making a difference while every 8 outa 10 fish hooke is being eating by a shark ...make a joke outa the rec bag limit do th maths ...then local governments sell cage diving licences put poeple in cages and trow tuna at em ....wake up you fkn do gooders and grow a pair theres poeple dying your dog bites some one the fuking rangers shoot it ...sick of feel good excuses ...we are talking snapper Clarke's,and crescent high populatin beach areas full kids ... GG uk we have pissweek leader to scares to rattle the cage ...
Sharkeyes where created by an Abalone diver based an anacdotal evidence that ambush predators (Sharks) are less likely to attack if seen.
Much like you use anacdotal evidence to support your argument for a cull.
Scientific evidence proves that commercial fishing has decimated fish stocks and fucked fisheries around the world. Especially the type of industrial fishing you say you where engaged in.
Your argument for a cull is unintelligent and poorly constructed. And how about you and your mates stop fucking the oceans for the rest of us. Thanks.
You might want to be a little more informed in your criticism Soggydog.
Australia has close to (if not the) most well managed and sustainable fisheries in the world.
The line caught Coral Trout fishery on the GBR is particularly well managed and sustainable.
As an island continent with incredibly scarce productive agricultural land compared to most continents our seafood resources are a solution, not a problem for sustainable living on this land.
You're much better off eating line caught fish than lentils and soybeans if you care about the environment here.
Local line caught fish towards the bottom/middle end of the food chain are best.
I like the part where old mate talks about processing at sea then blames recreational fishermen for shark associating boats with food, that's a good one.
The best managed fisheries maybe, but that's not self regulation by the fishermen. That's scientists and government departments managing policy and regulation. Often with strong resistance from commercial fishing interests.
And if you want to think completely sustainable in Australia you'd eat kangaroo, and fish you caught your self not commercially caught fish. Although a lot of the sea bogans are still fishing for the freezer. Eg. The annual pilgrimage to the NW of WA to fish the fuck out of it.
Mate, just read the crap spewed by the shark huggers on this and other sites, we have surrendered the moral high ground to these fuckwits and the oceans to the sharks eg dickheads equating a heart attack in the surf with a shark attack FFS.
Pretty sure that if you’re calling for animals to be killed cause they make you feel nervous then you’re a long, long way from any moral high ground.
Instead of asking for the sharks who have never hurt you in your entire life spent in the ocean to be killed, why don’t you google “ how to harden the fuck up”. That’d serve everyone much better, including yourself.
I love that reply, priceless. One very easy and guaranteed way to prevent yourself ever being eaten by a shark, stay out of the fuckin water if you can't handle the risk!
Blowin you are an arrogant fuckwit . And actualview is sucking your vagina.
Lol. The fella who thinks that other beings on the planet shouldn’t have to forfeit their right to exist just so someone can play splash splash is the arrogant one in this situation?
Innatube, I think you should take up ten pin bowling if the ocean is too dangerous for you mate. Then again…..the polished floor of the bowling alley can be treacherously slippery, maybe stick to board games. Just don’t choke on the pieces.
Totally hypocritical by clowns like you who probably eat all kinds of dead meat .. Do you go fishing?. Runover kangaroos with your landcruiser. ? Don't throw stones ya goose.
If you kill the sharks to eat, then then get stuck in. If you want to kill the sharks cause your balls are so shrivelled that you don’t dare set foot in the ocean until the authorities have groomed it of all threat, then you can ….find another pastime.
Gee that's a bit harsh, I guess you'll be staying safe'n'sound on dry land until the cull comes? Very sensible too.
Blowin, will you call Joe and other shark attack victims and their families and tell them "to harden the fuck up” (as they might not be reading this thread)? PS Suggest reading shaun's comment above before you make the calls.
No, I’ve got nothing but sympathy for the few people who’ve had the extreme misfortune of being attacked by a shark. Who I don’t have sympathy for is the sackless wonders who haven’t been attacked by a shark in their decades of surfing, yet who still want me to believe that they are so personally imperilled during their playtime , that we should consciously destroy the ocean more than it already is.
Learn some respect for the world we call home you scared, little child.
I read Shaun's 'comment'. All I got out of it was that the ability to string a coherent sentence together and sustain a logical argument is not a 'realworld skill'.
For those uninformed commercial fishing is quoted in QLD well over 80 % Percent of the fish take is done by recreational and charter vessels and the population is growing but yet the recreational fishing industry ..yes industry ..takes no blame for the effects on fish stocks
Perhaps true. But it also stands that Australia’s recreational fishing population has been estimated at over 3.4million people. Every single fish caught by rec fishermen is eaten by Australians, whilst the majority of pro caught fish are sent overseas. Of course there’s an export earning but this is centred in the hands of relatively few individuals despite the catch being subtracted from the common wealth fish stocks.
To be honest, I believe the bag limits for QLD rec fishermen are set way too high. I was up on the GBR a few weeks ago and was stunned to be reminded that each angler is allowed 7 coral trout each! This is an unbelievably large amount compared to the WA catch limit of 1 trout. The mixed bag of 20 reef fish in QLD is out of control.
Still seemed like trout were relatively plentiful and easy to catch. Though nothing on how the original pristine biomass must have presented.
Good point about the impact of hooked fish lost to sharks as an undeclared impact on the fishery. Crew - including pros- still try to fill their quota despite killing many more fish on the way as sharks tax the haul. I reckon that’s an area of fisheries policy that will need to be addressed in future though I’ve no idea how anyone would go about attempting to regulate it.
Mackie season down here had many reports of boats losing multiple fish to sharks for every fish landed. Fish which would have otherwise avoided sharks easily must somehow be accounted for.
I also agree that the way forward with mitigating shark attacks on humans is a technique to install fear of humans into the white pointer population. I think that’s a partial reason for any success from smart drum lining. The mere act of a shark being aware that humans can cause it discomfort and harm must lend them an inclination to avoid humans in future. Animals communicate this fear amongst themselves…..somehow.
Perhaps dummy humans on surfboards , baited up with attractant and brandishing an electrical charge which stuns the shark and teaches it to stay the fck away.
@FR "Australia has close to (if not the) most well managed and sustainable fisheries in the world."
Calling BS on that FR no where and I mean no where can I catch the same fish now that I caught as a kid growing up.
Then there is the WA crayfish industry touted as the best ever world wide then the stocks collapsed.
Not saying people are not trying but still seeing very real decline.
WA rock lobster fishery under the current latest fisheries science "The IPM indicates that the biomass and egg production in all locations of the fishery is currently at the highest levels recorded since the mid-1970s, and that a continuation of fishing at similar or slightly higher TACCs will continue to result in increasing biomass and catch rates."
with the collapse of the WA export market to China there's more back of the boat sales of WA crays then ever before.
I've fished my whole life.
In a half hour midday sesh today on the last hour of the run-out tide, I got 2 greenback tailor and a 90cm jew.
That's fish for a week for my family.
I saw probably 10 tonnes biomass of sea mullet, sting rays, dolphins, two whaler sharks, numerous humpback whales, green sea turtle, Australasian gannets, terns, seagulls, sooty oystercatchers etc etc.
this is not a denuded ecosystem.
thats why it can support an increasing population of apex predators.
WA rock lobster catch went from 11,000 tonnes to 6,000 tonnes.
The inshore marine environment from Perth to around the south west corner is almost a marine desert compared to 40 years ago seems chalk and cheese perhaps with where you are although suspect with the population growth along with the rec fishers / technology your own area isn't what is was either.
I dunno about your rec fishing in the SW but you really are barking up the wrong tree trying to use the WA cray industry as an example of poor fishery management.
It's gold standard by any measure.
yes, there were some bad years were puerulus recruitment was poor, especially in the Kalbarri/Big Bank area.
Almost immediately TAC was reduced accordingly.
This fishery is managed at every level including intense compliance on the rec fishing sector.
All the latest indicators are that recruitment is heading back to historical levels.
This is an extremely well managed resource in good shape that provides immense economic and social benefit.
NSW rec fishing is improved in many areas due to rec fishing havens, marine parks and reduced bag limits.
Mulloway/jew are in poor shape but I'm hoping the reduction in bag limit will see them bounce back.
NSW DPI just cracked the code to breed mulloway in captivity and 90000 fingerlings were just released into the Georges and Hastings Rivers.
Biggest change for the better I've seen is more management of the Fraser Island tailor spawning run.
That has seen more tailor around here, without a doubt.
FR you have only convinced me people are trying but I remain a complete sceptic on how healthy fish stocks are across the board particularly bottom fish.
Australia is not the "gold standard" in conservation (not sure that term works any more).
BTW for others not having a go at professional fishing have friends that are still in the game they are just trying to make a living and pretty much follow the rules unlike many that rec fish.
fair enough mate, but don't shift the goalposts.
we were talking about the was rock lobster fishery, which is a particularly well managed one.
as is the line caught coral trout fishery, which you maligned.
I never said Australia is the gold standard in conservation.
As far as terrestrial ecosystems go, we are about as bad as it gets.
But when it comes to fisheries we are doing alright.
As the healthy population of inshore apex predators shows.
I could well argue about the WA cray fishing issues as there are plenty but would likely get lynched by mates in the game that have talked in confidence so will let it go.
A close mate actually fishes coral trout here in WA professionally and didn't have that in mind (your turn to shift goal posts) his licence is pretty remote was thinking inshore bottom fish at least here in WA.
The wa cray industries resistance to a domestic supply quota was a good one too.
Well said FR.
As a commercial fisho I've often been shocked at how other countries that I've visited treat their stocks. I would agree that years ago most of the Australian fisheries were a bit of a free for all ,with market prices and opportunities being the only limiting factor in catch rate. Things are way different today in Oz and Total Allowable Catch rates are modified regularly according to changes in stock numbers,catch rates etc , and that includes those that may have a natural cause rather than over fishing.
No fishermen these days goes into business to get rich quick and get out like some of the old blokes did. It simply doesn't work that way . Our stock is everything to us , whether you believe that or not . The fleet has been reduced to a handfull compared to decades ago , and quota is a very complicated business to deal with in the industry. If you don't own or aren't allocated any/much then you have to lease it . And every fishery has slightly different formats on how quota is applied , distributed and accounted for. It's not an exact science but it works.
Excellent comment tubeshooter.
'Perhaps dummy humans on surfboards , baited up with attractant and brandishing an electrical charge which stuns the shark and teaches it to stay the fck away.'
Yet another intelligent contribution to the debate from the tough, brave and fearless blower.
The suggestion to have dummy targets moored well out off the beaches that give strong electric shocks to sharks that come near has much merit.
Many predators fear humans. Early explorers in Africa noted that lions gave the natives a wide birth. The silhouette of a man standing against the horizon often led to nearby prides of lions moving away or giving the people a wide birth. Most tigers in India fear humans. Once the fear goes, danger increases a lot.
Protecting GWs and cage diving has lessened fear. Boats now attract sharks.
With all the tagged sharks today scientists could measure the impact of this shock approach quite quickly.
After a shock, do they hang around, or scoot out to sea, avoid such targets in future, avoid populated beaches? Do they begin to tolerate the shocks ?
They now have enough tagged sharks to test this in the real world. A far better use of their research millions currently to be spent on "education" and other non solutions.
It potentially has the impact of shifting behaviours in a widespread way on a mobile population. Efforts in NSW could change behaviour in sharks months later swimming along other coasts.
Amazing the difference in reporting from studies to observation’s . https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-28/alarming-70pc-decline-in-shark-an... https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-09/shark-numbers-out-of-control-nort... https://www.australiangeographic.com.au/blogs/shark-blog/2019/01/the-tru.... https://saveourseas.com/worldofsharks/threats/overfishing
Data is global. Our problem is local.
Oh ok thanks frog , seemed strange the difference between professional fisherman and researchers . Did you look at the 3rd link ? Its a queensland study. A recent study based on data from the Queensland Shark Control Program found that there have been substantial declines (74-92 per cent) in catch rates of hammerhead, whaler, tiger and white sharks over the past 50 years. This includes a 92 per cent decline in the catch rate of white sharks, despite their protected status over the past two decades. Ironically, despite this protection, they are still allowed to be actively targeted in every lethal shark control program in Australia. In fact, the shark meshing program in New South Wales is listed as a Key Threatening Process to white sharks, and the recent statistics give weight to the idea that these control programs could be having a significant impact on shark numbers.
the data from the shark control program has confounding factors.
ie seasonality of gear set, etc etc.
To me, the current tagging data, listening station data (all super high quality real-time data) plus attack rates, plus interaction numbers, plus anecdotal records from professional fisherman is a more compelling set of data that suggests a population rebound in white shark numbers.
Agree.
In simple logic terms, it would be extremely strange if protecting a highly successful predator species in a generally healthy ecosystem did not create a strong population rebound.
They know.
Good luck and best wishes to the young man and his family.
Seeing that gorgeous outer islands v-stringer mauled brought a tear to my eye. Good thing there aren’t any pics of the young fella, I’d be a bawling mess.
Re the good luck in having a trauma surgeon, a doctor and a nurse all nearby -
One of my best surfing buddies is a paramedic. We’ve surfed up and down the east coast at all times of year. The number of times he runs into a fellow ambo or paramedic is hard to quantify. Seriously, if you are ever in trouble and there are a few surfers out there yell out and ask if any of them are ambos, paramedics or doctors. Chances of someone putting their hand up is ridiculously high.
I suspect the shift work is part of it, but a hell of a lot of them surf.
A hell of a lot of everybody surfs in 2021......
4 GWS at Evans
https://www.dorsalwatch.com/report/index.html?id=25634
Only 4? Won't stop blower paddling out.
The biggest mi managed fishwry in qld is the recreational fishery no reporting required outlandish bag limits especially in qld un capped populatipn growth per person not per boat bag limits as on bag limits not per boat on the a spot fines for fishing closed areas no rec licences in qld no....recs selling fish in qld is out of control fisheries say its to hard to stop it ...and a TAC commercial line fishery nonoe on the recs who take over 80% and when management get concerned about increased rec effort the drop commoecial quata value to compensate ....think about it fisherman have been threw a lot of change to reduce effort an become sustainable ..
Now its the recs turn ..should arc a few of you one eyed fkrs up
"fisherman have been threw a lot of change to reduce effort an become sustainable .. " And then some . Nearly lost my business when quota was introduced due to the panic buying and high prices of any quota you could find if you were lucky . Took another 3 years to get back on track . I had to drive farkin barges , charter boats , do paid slip work ,,whatever to stay afloat . It favoured the bigger players but changes in laws allowing selling directly off the boat and to restaurants etc was the only thing that saved me.
The best thing was I could get a much higher price and use way less quota to achieve it , instead of selling larger catches to major processors who paid fark all
No need for cull. Aimlessly hunting random sharks to thin numbers is pointless and will not achieve anything.
Protection status needs to be lifted. Fairly obvious the species is no longer in decline.
Also believe a shark that bites (and hangs around long enough) needs to be exterminated. There was an attack last year, the news chopper showed the offending shark swimming up and down the beach whilst fisheries just watched on in the boat. Just shoot the c#$% ffs
Layne Beachley pulled out the "more people die of bee stings than shark attacks" the other night on TV.
That is just an incorrect statistical comparison.
But maybe she should go uo to Tuncurry and drop that pearl of wisdom to whoever she meets to reassure the surfers and mums and dads. Then she could invite the grommets out for a dawn session or two.
Problem solved. Back to shark netted Manly.
Update from Joe
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-09-14/shark-attack-survivor-recount/100...
poor bloke. hopefully that arm gets going. thanks for sharing.
Great to hear he's recovering well and going to get back in the water. Go Joe!
https://www.sunshinecoastnews.com.au/2022/04/13/joe-hoffman-rerturns-to-...
That's awesome Udo. Cheers.
Yew