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A SURFER IS fighting for his life after being mauled by a shark in Australia’s south, police said, with onlookers claiming the animal swam off with his leg in its mouth.
The man was surfing at Fishery Bay in Port Lincoln National Park, some 245 kilometres (150 miles) west of Adelaide, when the shark attacked him.
“The man sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Port Lincoln Hospital,” South Australia state police said, adding in a later update that he was in a critical condition with “serious leg injuries”.
The Adelaide Advertiser newspaper said about a dozen surfers were in the water at the time and cited an onlooker as seeing a great white shark swimming away with the man’s leg and board.
“The shark came in and bit his leg off and the guys helped him in and carried him up the cliff,” the onlooker said.
I was just watching the shark go out to the ocean with his board still attached. Obviously the shark still had his leg and he was still swimming around with it.
He said he called an ambulance while other surfers brought the injured man in to shore.
South Australian Abalone Industry Association president Jonas Woolford said there had been increased shark sightings in the area recently.
“All the reports are that they’re out there and that they’re aggressive,” he told the Port Lincoln Times.
Sharks are a regular feature in Australian waters, and swimmers and surfers have had their share of encounters with the animals in recent months.
Experts say attacks are increasing as water sports become more popular, although fatalities remain rare.
The most recent death was in February when a Japanese man died after both his legs were bitten off by a shark near Ballina in eastern Australia.
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The odds of a shark attack is something like 3,500,000 /1 fluck that even at them odds i stil be paranoid in the water
Stick me down for a score e/w
Happily, as I do risk for a living lets start with that “3.5m:1″ odds thing. We can shorten odds the oddsconsiderably when ….
(1) Be in water > 3m depth
(2) Overcast conditions.
(3) It’s either early morning / dusk
(4) Be isolated from others in the water.
(5) Frequent exposure (ie be in the water a lot)
(6) Be on a shark migration route.
Etc etc etc
If one chooses to surf regularly in the above conditions, a close encounter with a large shark is almost inevitable eventually. Its then up to the shark as to whether you live or die.
Personally I like being top of the food chain. Thats why you wont catch me surfing in OZ.
So is he incredibly unlucky or lucky as he’s still alive?
7. Using a surfboard to mimic the siluette of the sharks staple diet – the seal.
I do have sympathy for the guy, But his odds were a lot shorter than 3.5 M to 1.
….and the shark apparently, legged it!
Hope he makes it. I don’t blame the shark tho.
If you walked across the plains of Africa in lion territory I wouldn’t be surprised if one bit me.
It’s not an intentional act of aggression either usually. Sharks are very curious and investigate what they don’t know through biting (much like a child). Most attacks occur because of this rather than intentional aggression.
Plus consider how an estimated 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year.
The Chinese for example are fond of shark fin soup. The fishermen cut the fins off the shark and let the shark die in the water.
Probably revenge attacks so .
The poor man. Seriously though, you’d want to be very passionate about your hobby to get back in the water surfing in Australia after that.
Yeah, be tough with one leg alright.
Saw a guy powering through a Body Pump class at the gym the other day with one arm. Fair play I thought and its a wake up call when you see something like that.
Had fallen back asleep by the next day though.
Sharks in Ballina, Jaysus! So the prophecies are true
Terrible thing to happen but there’s a simple way to avoid been bitten stay out of the water, the day a great white comes onto the beach and bites someone on dry land then we can blame them but until that day enjoy the waters at your own risk
Have to laugh, every few months there’s an article about someone in Australia who was bitten by a shark and it always says the chances of being bitten are very rare. Doesn’t look like that from where I’m sitting!
Poor fella – losing your leg like that will leave mental scars for ever. But it’s scare stories like this that make it look riskier than it is. How many people lost limbs or worse, driving in the last few days?
Worst nightmare!
As with most shark attacks on surfers to the sharks perspective the surfboard is similar in shape and size to a seal.
How can a shark, “maul”? Maul is used in reference to attacks by large carnivores mammals. Your still more likely to be killed by a cow.
An estimated 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year.
The Chinese for example are fond of shark fin soup. The fishermen cut the fins off the shark and let the shark die in the water.
Is there anything to be said for a shark cull?
An estimated 100 million sharks are killed by humans each year.
No but we should consider a cull of feral cats , they are a right nuisance .
On a par with motorway sprinting.
have your say