Posted on 09/05/2011 5:15:23 PM PDT by LibWhacker
A tourist on a bodyboard was killed in a horrific attack by what was believed to have been a great white shark near Bunker Bay, south of Perth in Western Australia.
A tourist on a bodyboard was killed in a horrific attack by what was believed to have been a great white shark near a beach on Australia's west coast.
The 21-year-old was dead before fellow surfers could drag him ashore at a popular surfing spot called Boneyards, near Bunker Bay, about 3.5 hours south of Perth, the West Australian reports.
The shark had pulled the man below the surface and ripped his legs off, horrifying those watching from the crowded beach, the Daily Mail reports.
The paper quoted Kurt Morris, a diner at the nearby Bunker Bay Cafe — reportedly packed at the time of the attack — as saying he'd been told by the man's friends that he had been torn apart.
"They were saying they were just two meters away from him," he said. "From the waist down, it was all gone."
Onlookers told the West Australian, meantime, that they believed the shark was a 4.5-meter great white.
Dunsborough Sgt. Craig Anderson told News.com.au that: "No one saw the shark itself but they've observed the young fellow's body in the water in amongst some blood.
Anderson described the weather conditions during the attack as "perfect shark conditions": "It was dark and gloomy water, overcast skies, light rain falling, there was whale action in the bay and some seals about."
He described the actions of the young man who pulled his fatally injured friend ashore as heroic.
"You have to take your hat off to the young fellow who was surfing with him and his mate for bringing him ashore, the nature of his injuries were significant," he said.
The victim, reportedly from Sydney, had been working in Western Australia (WA) for the past few years and vacationing at Cape Naturaliste, in the state's south west.
Shark expert Hugh Edwards told the West Australian that the "Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin area was a 'travel route' for sharks, particularly great whites."
“....a popular surfing spot called Boneyards....”
.
The tourist should’ve read the warning sign.
Most people would think this is a hint to surf somewhere else.
Opps!
I forgot my shark repellent...
After a hard day surfing he is 1/2 the man he used to be.
Of course the “experts” are going to tell us that the shark didn’t mean anything by it. He just thought the tourist was a seal riding a bodyboard.
YIKES!
I guess everyone was ok since I haven’t heard of anyone being attacked in San Diego recently.
I grew up on the beaches of S. Cal - we usually just worried about getting stung by jelly fish....well, and rip tides.
Oh, the shark, babe, has such teeth, dear
And it shows them pearly white
No...no attacks, but a number of recent sightings in the area in recent weeks. The pic was taken last Wednesday, and estimated to be a 10-12’ Great White. Here’s the thread we had on it:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2773651/posts
When you’re flying and are coming in low to land at an airport that’s close to the water, you can often look down and see hundreds of sharks swimming around just outside the breakers. If I’ve seen it, millions of people must’ve seen it too, because I don’t fly that much.
Maybe I’m just overly cautious, chicken even, but I wouldn’t go into grizz country without taking precautions, and I wouldn’t go into shark infested waters unless I really had to!
The headline gives a whole new meaning to the words “rip tide”!
You sure that ain’t the tailfin of a cocaine smuggling Mexican minsub???
One good thing about Louisiana is that the water’s rarely clear enough to see what’s in it :-)
and never returned,
Only head of state eaten by a shark.
I always worried about giant squid.
It looks like there might be the shadow of another one to the right.
ouch
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