Sharks kill teenager in Adelaide

[Heath]

Sharks kill teenager in Adelaide
December 16, 2004

A TEENAGER is believed to have died instantly when he was attacked by two great white sharks off a metropolitan Adelaide beach today.


Friends watched as two sharks attacked and killed their 18-year-old surfer mate while he was surfboarding behind a boat at West Beach, about 10km west of Adelaide city centre.

One shark attacked the man after he fell from the surfboard, tearing him in half, authorities said. The other shark took the man's remains.

Police and South Australian emergency services said there had been no sign of the victim or the sharks since the attack, which happened about 3.30pm (CDT).

SA Sea Rescue Squadron spokesman Frasier Bell said one of the sharks was believed to be about five metres long while the other was about 4.5m long.

He said the attack happened 200m-300m offshore on a hot day at a crowded beach.

"He fell off the surfboard and the shark appeared and took him," Mr Bell said.

"It tore him apart ... apparently it tore him in half and the other shark came in and took the rest."

The victim was being towed in a boat containing his three 16-year-old friends, two of whom witnessed the attack.

The four, all from Adelaide's western suburbs, had been on the water for just 30 minutes before the attack occurred.

"They were just boys having a good time, the weather was perfect and they were just out doing what young lads do," Mr Bell said.

He said the teenagers tried in vain to rescue their mate.

"They tried everything they could think of but unfortunately the sharks had taken him by that stage," he said.

"They're in deep shock, they're a wreck.

"You can just imagine what the victim's parents are going to go through."

Asked if there was any chance the victim had survived, Mr Bell said: "No, none whatsoever".

SA police chief inspector David Lufty said beaches in the West Beach area would be closed as the search for the killer sharks continued.

He said that in the two hours immediately after the attack no items of significance had been found, lending weight to fears the victim was killed instantly.

Mr Bell said there had been recent reports of shark sightings off Adelaide's metropolitan coast, with the sea squadron issuing a shark warning a couple of weeks ago.

The last fatal shark attack off an Adelaide beach was in 1991, when 19-year-old Adelaide university student Jonathon Lee was killed by a white pointer while diving off Aldinga Beach, in the southern suburbs.

AAP

[mackmauler]

he must have had a really weird day :(

[Sergio_kutz]

Poor Kid.. And now because this is the second attack in a few days.. it's gonna hit the fan about sharks and are we protecting our beaches enough and this and that... Media hype....

[NQCairns]

Holy sh.....t, at least it was quick!

[megan]

And now they are deciding wether to hunt down the sharks and kill them! ???

[Heath]

Teens see sharks kill mate
December 17, 2004

AN afternoon of fun with four mates ended in horror yesterday when two Great White sharks killed a teenager in a ferocious attack off an Adelaide beach.


Nick Peterson, 18, was riding on a small surfboard being towed by a dinghy just 400m off West Beach when the attack occurred about 3.15pm (CDT).

Mr Peterson had been "scurfing" - a popular trend which involves towing a surfboard behind a boat - when a Great White at least 4m long surged at him. He tried to fend off the shark but disappeared within seconds.

A second Great White then joined the attack, striking at the boat as three of Mr Peterson's former Sacred Heart College schoolmates tried to strike it with paddles. They raced back to shore, alerting Anna and Frank Criscitelli - who were about to launch their boat - of the attack.

Mrs Criscitelli said they screamed: "Help - help us ... our mate's been taken by a shark. Don't go out, don't go out - sharks, sharks."

Mrs Criscitelli, 31, of Glenelg, said she could not believe what she was hearing and initially thought it was a joke.

"They were screaming at us that their mate had been taken by a shark," she said.

"They said it spun him around their boat, under the boat and a second shark ripped him to pieces.

"They said it was as big and as wide as their boat".

Witness Chris Niemoeller was swimming about 50m from the boys when he heard yelling.

"I could see these two huge fins come out of the water," he said. "It was just ferocious.

"One minute he was on the surfboard and he tried to beat it off and the next there was just a pool of blood.

"It was over in three seconds. He didn't stand a chance - he was just gone."

Thivo Kulasingam, 32, and his wife, Thanujah Haran, 30, of West Beach, were standing in front of the West Beach Surf Lifesaving Club when the attack occurred.

"We could see the shark just circling the boat around and around," Mr Kulasingam said.

"Then the shark started banging up against the boat - the noise was so loud we could hear it from the shore.

"There were three guys in the boat and two of them grabbed some paddles and started to bash the shark away but it kept attacking."

Experts did not rule out that the larger Great White was the same shark that has been stalking Adelaide's beaches in the past weeks. The hunt, by air and sea, began about 3.30pm (CDT), supported by police patrols along the beach alerting beachgoers of the attack.

However the beach was not closed to public, police instead leaving it to beachgoers to make their own judgment on swimming. Sea Rescue Squadron Rear Commodore Fraser Bell said an attack involving two sharks was "unprecedented" and may result in further attacks.

"I've never heard of two white pointers attacking human beings in this way," he said.

"He's (the shark) had a taste and he'll come back for more."

"It's just an absolute tragedy. They were just boys out there having a good time.

"The weather's just perfect and they were just doing what young lads do."

Chief Inspector David Lusty, of Sturt police, said a witness found the undamaged surfboard shortly before 4pm. About an hour later, searchers began finding human remains between Henley and Grange jetties.

"It was quite horrific but also quite quick," he said of the attack.

Mr Peterson and his three friends had been out on the water for about 30 minutes when the attack occurred.

It is believed he headed to the beach after finishing work for the day as a paver.

The death has rocked the close-knit Sacred Heart College community - where all four boys attended school.

Mr Peterson, originally from Ardrossan, was so popular he was voted house captain last year and was a role model to other Year 12s.

SHC principal Chris Blake described the incident as a "tragedy".

"He was just a great young person," he said. "It is incredible. It is hard to believe. We are terribly, terribly sad."

SHC boarding director Richard Maddigan said Mr Peterson was a keen surfer who loved the water.

He is the second man to be killed by a shark in Australian waters within a week.

Mark Thompson, 38, was killed on Saturday by a shark while spear fishing at Opal Reef off Cairns in north Queensland.

The last fatal shark attack off an Adelaide beach was in 1991, when 19-year-old Adelaide university student Jonathon Lee was killed by a white pointer, while diving off Aldinga Beach, in the southern suburbs.

The search for the remains of the teenager will resume this morning.

The Advertiser

[Derek Bullock]

I have never understood this protection crap on killer sharks.

If a human goes out and kills someone the cops hunt them down and hopefully the courts throw them in jail for a long time. It's called justice.

If a shark kills someone we have a big debate about whether we should hunt the shark down or not.

Same thing with snakes ............... totally protected. But let me tell you, one bites me its dead.

Who are more important ............. rogue sharks, animals or reptiles or people ? ? ? ? ? ?


Derek

[Fisheasy]

We all take the risk when we swim in an estuarine or beach situation go diving, whatever. We're entering their territory. Considering how many people swim in our coastal waters on a yearly basis, I'm still surprised there aren't more attacks.
Still sad to see a young lad's life being taken so early.

[CQ_Fisher]

The difference between a human going out and killing someone and a death as a result of an animal attack is simple; Humans have free will and should understand the consequences of their actions, a shark, croc, tiger, etc. do not have free will and are acting on survival instinct. Should we go out and slaughter every predatory animal on the face of the earth? If any predator was put in a situation where there was a human in its territory, i believe that they would all take advantage of the "easy meal" and why wouldnt they, to them we are just another animal entering their territory. Thats just my opinion.

JD

[el_carpo]

Both of these stories are just numbing (the kids and the spear-fisher). Lives lost and damaged. Horrible beyond words. I feel so bad for them and their loved ones. Even the timing is brutal. Christmas is so close. I hope these families are very close and that their friends are there for them with support. They'll need it. These stories really help put things in proper perspective. Hug your family and tell them you love them. You just never know. Rough.

[Dug]

Just awful, but the same kind of thing goes on on our roads everyday. Cruel, brutal and wasteful on average 500 killed every year and thousands crippled and maimed.

It is sad, but being eaten alive gets the imagination going, being mangled in a car or bike wreck we just don't want to think about. Drive safe, swim safe , boat safe, enjoy christmas and come back alive

[ba229]

Yep I'm with Dug.

Cars and drugs kill far more and many of a young age.

I can imagine how scared the 3 kids were, as I am sure it would freak me out for the rest of my life.

As for killing the sharks? I am undecided. I can understand the want to remove further threats. But it is also a wild animal that does what comes naturally to it.

[SeaHunt]

Sea Rescue Squadron Rear Commodore Fraser Bell said an attack involving two sharks was "unprecedented" and may result in further attacks.

"I've never heard of two white pointers attacking human beings in this way," he said. #
Hold on , when that surfer in WA was killed , didn't they say there were two Great White there , a larger one which attacked and a smaller one just learning the tricks of the trade. Could be the same ones.
#???
Also on ACA, which was on after the cricket they were talking to some shark research guy who had tagged a Great White in roughly the same area (SA) with a satellite tracking device that would transmit a signal every time the dorsal fin broke the surface.
Anyway this shark swam from SA around the coastline all the way up to the GBR off Gladstone and back in about a year, which surprised this scientist somewhat.
It seems these guys are cruising past our most populated beaches all the time, probably a few miles off the coast though.
Remember back in the mid 70's (guessing) that Vic Hislop tool, pulled a white pointer out of Morten Bay which was about 20 foot long and weighed over a ton.
He was putting gallons of blood in the water for 2 days before he caught it , so it was probably attracted in from out at the edge of the shelf.
I was there at Scarborough boat ramp that day they haulled it out with a crane and rested it on a minni to show the newshounds how big it was. ::)

[dfox]

Im no shark lover, but i'll guess that more people have been killed in the period of these two attacks by drunk drivers.....

[fishsmith]

Any loss of life is sad news,however the amount of lives that are ruined or lost through road accidents are out of control and i think we, as a society need to focus more on the real killers out there.

As for protection for the Great White shark its a magnificant animal and i'm all for it..

[cooky]

hmmm - this is a hard one. I believe that if they can positively ID the sharks responsible - or most likely sharks and they're still hanging around - then terminate them.
It's the same as tigers / lions in Sth Africa - if they kill a human and they show signs of possibly doing again - they;re destroyed.
I don't believe it's their territory (water) as such, but I do believe that thems the risks we take in the ocean. Just like driving on the roads - accidents WILL HAPPEN - we can't wrap everyone up in cotton wool.
I don't believe sharks shoudl be destroyed purely out of revenge / panic. They are natural killers and sure percentages mean once in-awhile someone will get eaten.
Maybe everytime we catch a fish there is a little fish family ;) somewhere grieving the loss (and what's worse they have no idea what's happened to their relative - "he just dissappeared" :o

[mini696]

Firstly my sincere and heartfelt condolances to the family.

Leave the sharks alone. How will they know if they have the right one until its dead?? We are in their home, and we are all aware of the risks. The kids were in an area where trawlers frequent. Having a person towed behind a tinnie in this area would look similar to a trawler retrieving its net. And the sharks know this is a good time to have a feed.

I was surfing at Currimundi on Tuesday, I was in the shorebreak. There was a gutter between me and a sandbpank furthur out. It was an hour before dusk too. While waiting for a wave I noticed a school of bait swim past. First thing I thought of is "you know what chases that bait Mick... Mr Shark". every five minutes I was seeing this school again, so instead of risking something happen, I got out of the water.... Why?? Because I am aware of the risks, and am prepared to stop short my fun for my life.

Again, I feel for the family. Especially the poor kids who witnessed the attack. But the shark is not to blame for acting on its instincts. Its tragic and horrific, but natural.

Mick

[Dug]

Teenagers witnessing shocking events being scared for life is too true.

There are a whole lot of teenager in Iraq at the moment being scared for life both physically and emotionally, lets get the shark thing in perspective before we go off on a killing rampage.

PS I saw the Vic Hislop shark in Scarbrough It was estimated to be 80 to 100 years old and we have no idea of their life cycles lets research first and kill later.

[fishsmith]

Mick,while i agree with your comments ,the area of the shark attack at west beach does not have any trawler activity...I grew up around that area and spent my teenage years fishing Henly,Grange and Semaphore jetties for Tommy Ruffs,Garfish and sharks "with great results I must say,once my 6/0 Penn Senator spooled by a biggin at a great rate of knotts".

Everyone in Adelaide knows that every summer there is a couple of Whites swimming up and down the coast not to mention the packs of Bronze whalers......

Smithy............. 8)

[dazza]

this is a terrible tradgedy, but we are in their environment,

derek you can't be serious, you are drawing a very long bow comparing people killing people and sharks attacking people.

cheers
dazza

[Wezza]

It is a tragedy, But yes we do run the risk everytime we swim in the ocean. I have to agree their is definate differences, they are doing what comes natural to them in their environment. I feel for the families of both the recent attacks, especially this close to the holiday season.

[Dug]

My mistake road toll in Queensland alone this year is 302 so far!
9 more that to this time last year.

[PinHead]

I doubt that humans are necessarily part of a sharks diet..i don't think that they cruise around conversing with each other and discussing hunting a human. There must be other factors such as a human looking to them like a seal or penguin moving through the water therefore it is good enough to attack and eat. Similar to croc attacks..their instincts tell them to kill something that looks similar to their normal food. I do not know if they enjoy humans as part of their diet or just destroy and spit out or if it registers in their mind that what they just tasted was good and register that to hunt that food source again. I doubt anyone will know therefore the question of killing the offending animals is a vexed one indeed. Us humans are a very weak animal...if we did not have a brain we would not survive in the wild. We need shelter from the elements..our skin is weak compared to other animals and we are slow moving also and have a very low level of strenght and endurance. The "wild" animals make very short work of us which is why we have to use our brains for survival. but..we also have to share this planet with the other animals.

[fishsmith]

Sharks mistaking us for seals or something else that resembles their natural diet......This theory that is banded around so often is a load of "codswollop" sharks are carnivours and we is meat "simple".

[Dug]

From the Age newspaper

Road deaths 15,000, shark attack deaths 1
By Jamie Berry
December 18, 2004
http://www.theage.com.au/news/National/Road-deaths-15000-shark-attack-deaths-1/2004/12/17/1102787274253.html
Page Tools


Since 1977, almost 15,000 people have died on the state's roads. During the same period, one person has died following a shark attack in Victorian waters.

"When you consider how many people go in the water each day during summer, the number of attacks there (are) quite minimal," said Melbourne Aquarium curator Dave Donnelly.

"You're more at risk of being killed in a car accident on the way to the beach than you are being killed by a shark."

You've also more chance of dying from a bee sting or a lightning strike than becoming a shark's meal. But recent attacks in Queensland and South Australia have done little to ease the fears of beachgoers.

On Thursday, Nick Peterson, 18, was taken and killed by a great white shark off West Beach in Adelaide.

Mark Thompson, 38, from Clifton Beach near Cairns, was spearfishing with two friends when a shark attacked him last Saturday.

According to Mr Donnelly, sharks are "abundant" in Port Phillip Bay, although great white sharks are rarely sighted. Another shark expert, Terry Walker, said: "If there's a white shark in there, we'd soon know about it."

Recent satellite tracking revealed that a 2.4-metre great white shark travelled 6000 kilometres from South Australia to central Queensland.

"I have no doubt that they do come and go as they please . . . you wouldn't say that they are densely populating our waters," Mr Donnelly said. "We really just don't know. They are very transient animals."

Dr Walker, of the Marine and Freshwater Systems Laboratory at Queenscliff, said most of the sharks in the bay were "quite harmless, most of the time".

But great white sharks posed the greatest threat to humans, Dr Walker said, adding that some people in Victoria had lucky "interactions" with the predators in recent times. "For example, divers occasionally get a white shark come around, rather curious at what they're doing," Dr Walker said.

"One diver had his abalone bag taken from him a couple of years ago but that didn't result in any injury."

Just last week, a great white shark tasted a boat's outboard motor near Portland in the state's south-west, he said.

The last fatal attack by a great white shark in Victoria was in 1956. Seven people have died in the state's waters from shark attacks, compared with more than 70 recorded deaths in both NSW and Queensland.

Sevengill sharks, which grow up to three metres in length, were common in Port Phillip Bay. "They can certainly do a lot of damage but there hasn't been a recorded attack from that species in a while," Mr Donnelly said.

Bronze whalers also used the bay for pupping. While they had to be respected because of their size, bronze whalers eat fish not mammals.

"It's the sharks that eat mammals that pose some sort of threat to humans," Dr Walker said.

[devocean]

As an avid diver and spearo I cant even understand why people go swimming in SA because of the concentration of white pointers in the area. Where I live I know there are certain spots you just dont dive because of the concentration of dangerous sharks in that area. So it still amazes me when everyone craps on about a shark attack because it is envitable down there.

[Mugil]

Hey fishsmith

Why is it then that of all the white pointer attacks in Australia (except one) the shark never actually ate the victim. Bit them, made a big mess, then left .

The only exception I know of was a lady in Port Lincoln who was bitten more than once but there were still some of her remains left….. Full perhaps? Or just a wasteful carnivore.

Even the poor kid in Adelaide, they did recover remains some time later up the coast.

[fishsmith]

Maybe there just a manbiter........ 8)

[Dug]

Did you see the Sunday Mail today? Evidently the Kid had been chased by a shark, while doing the same thing, in the same area just a few weeks before :o

Darwin's theory of "Natural Selection" starts to raise it's head here.

[fishsmith]

mmmmmmmmmmm, wouldn't believe the sunday rag too much, they start to value add to stories to keep selling their papers.


8)

[megan]

A human knowlingly kills a human = gaol

A shark unknowlingly kills a human = death!

I dunno it just doesn't make sence to kill the shark - it's not going to make other sharks stop attacking humans is it?

[imported_admin]

Doctors kill more people a year than sharks and crocodiles put together.

How come we want to kill a shark when it kills a human but we do nothing about the doctors ?

[Derek Bullock]

Putting a person in jail for killing someone doesnt necessarily mean other people wont kill someone either but it stops that person doing it again. Look at the statistics.

Kill a skark that has killed someone and it stops it doing it again.


Derek

[megan]

I think we could go round and round and round on this one. Each individual will have a different perspective either for or against the death of the shark. Whether the shark is killed or not - there will still be shark attacks, croc attacks, car accidents etc. We don't live in a perfect world and accidents will happen whether we like it or not.

[imported_admin]

If only they put them in jail Derek it would be a good start.

[agnes_jack]

Personally I have no probs with sharks, I don't eat them and hopefully they don't eat me! :D
But after seeing that shark on tv the following evening, following another boat, It would appear to me like that shark had decided that following boats is a good way to get an easy feed!
In that situation what do you do?

Regards, Tony

[Render]

Derek,

With all due respect, old man, there is absolutely no case whatsoever for euthanising the sharks involved... even if the offending sharks are somehow positively identified.

Ask yourself a question: what was the lad doing when the shark got him? More to the point, *where* was he?

He was in the sea. A fair way out in the sea, almost certainly beyond the protection of shark nets.

The shark didn't come up behind him in the queue at Woolies and bite him on the arse. HE went into the domain of an apex predator. Further to that, he did something that would increase the likelihood of a white attack tenfold: he got towed on a surfboard.

Now, it's a proven fact that to a WP shark, the profile of a surfer on his board from below closely resembles the profile of a seal - the WP's natural prey.

Every time I hear about something like this, I ask that same question: where was the victim?

Man gets mauled by a bear in a wood in Alaska? Hard cheese.

Snake bites someone hiking through the back of Bourke? Ahh well.

Shark kills someone swimming a long way offshore in *known* shark infested open ocean waters? The cookie crumbles thusly, glasshopper.

This kid, unfortunate as he was, brought it squarely on himself. I have every sympathy for him and his family, but as far as him getting attacked goes... *tough*. Them's the breaks.

Put it in context... if some waste of space moron wandered across an African savannah dressed as a Wildebeest, who exactly would be all that surprised when a sodding great lion took a chunk out of his backside?? Would you then call for a cull on lions?

Or if someone played on the railway lines and got creamed by a train? Ban trains? Cull the drivers? Or stay the hell off railway lines and thus entirely eliminate the risk of getting hit by one?

We have absolutely no right whatsoever to call for those 'rogue' sharks to be culled. You may well be right... they might do it again, but only if someone again ventures into their domain.

We need to realise that we do NOT own this planet and that we cannot go killing animals just to suit us. The quicker we all realise that and start thinking before we act, the better the Earth will become.

Cheers,

R

[macdwp01]

Derek,

With all due respect, old man, there is absolutely no case whatsoever for euthanising the sharks involved... even if the offending sharks are somehow positively identified.

Ask yourself a question: what was the lad doing when the shark got him? More to the point, *where* was he?

He was in the sea. A fair way out in the sea, almost certainly beyond the protection of shark nets.

The shark didn't come up behind him in the queue at Woolies and bite him on the arse. HE went into the domain of an apex predator. Further to that, he did something that would increase the likelihood of a white attack tenfold: he got towed on a surfboard.

Now, it's a proven fact that to a WP shark, the profile of a surfer on his board from below closely resembles the profile of a seal - the WP's natural prey.

Every time I hear about something like this, I ask that same question: where was the victim?

Man gets mauled by a bear in a wood in Alaska? Hard cheese.

Snake bites someone hiking through the back of Bourke? Ahh well.

Shark kills someone swimming a long way offshore in *known* shark infested open ocean waters? The cookie crumbles thusly, glasshopper.

This kid, unfortunate as he was, brought it squarely on himself. I have every sympathy for him and his family, but as far as him getting attacked goes... *tough*. Them's the breaks.

Put it in context... if some waste of space moron wandered across an African savannah dressed as a Wildebeest, who exactly would be all that surprised when a sodding great lion took a chunk out of his backside?? Would you then call for a cull on lions?

Or if someone played on the railway lines and got creamed by a train? Ban trains? Cull the drivers? Or stay the hell off railway lines and thus entirely eliminate the risk of getting hit by one?

We have absolutely no right whatsoever to call for those 'rogue' sharks to be culled. You may well be right... they might do it again, but only if someone again ventures into their domain.

We need to realise that we do NOT own this planet and that we cannot go killing animals just to suit us. The quicker we all realise that and start thinking before we act, the better the Earth will become.

Cheers,

R
Mate for a start you should show some respect to the teenager who was taken by this shark. Saying the guy brought it on himself is maybe a bit insensitive this early after the attack. Lets stick to the facts shall we, the guy was not out to see, about 300 metres of the beach, hardly out to sea, people on the beach actually saw the attack, also many believe this shark has been hanging around the adelaide beaches for 3 weeks and before the attack the shark was dubbed the adelaide stalker because it had nudged fishing boats and was seen crusing the beachs. The shark took the teenager who was close to shore and therefore i believe if the shark is sighted it should be killed. It seems like it has been hanging around for a month and therefore it poses a threat to human life because of its proxminity to beaches etc.

[subzero]

I'm with Agnes and the rest of them, rogue shark for sure, how many people did Jaws kill before the local Mayor decided to do something about it ;)
Seriously though, his domain or not, mistaken for a seal or what ever, I place a greater value on human life than the potential of 1 White Pointer that does APPEAR to have a little bit of a fixation with the area, and with following boats be it small or large, NO to wholesale slaughter, but sure as hell send this 1 to the Japanese fish markets ;D :o
Sorry to the fish huggers but thats my 2c worth and you can rest assured I wont be changing my opinion on this subject, even with expert education
Regards Lloyd [smiley=dunce.gif] [smiley=rifle.gif] [smiley=scholar.gif]

[Derek Bullock]

If a human goes out and kills someone the cops hunt them down and hopefully the courts throw them in jail for a long time. #It's called justice.

I did say hopefully Steve but yes you are right. To many people walking the streets because of a techicality in court who maybe should be inside. Justice isn't always served thats for sure.

I still think this particular shark should go.


Derek

[dfox]

Id start by banning the "so called" research of great whites that require the bearling and dead baits be hung from boats just to attract a shark. Surely this just trains and encourages the animals into associating a boat with food. Then the shark is usually teased into grabbing tuna carcases and lifting its head out of the water.No wonder they follow and nudge boats to see if theres a feed available.

[Derek Bullock]

Render that’s nothing short of being a load of philosophical balderdash. >:( >:( >:( >:(


Derek

[mackmauler]

I think you lot in favour of killing this shark need to remember they are protected,protected against idiots like yourselves ;D

[Derek Bullock]

This one is no longer protected. Authority has been given by the Governement for its removal.


Derek

[blaze]

I have stayed away from this debate
BUT WHICH SHARK IS IT
cheers
blaze

[DICER]

Well I'm just back from 9 days holiday in Adelaide.

I fished Glenelg Friday morning from 5.00 am till 9.30am (the day after the attack).

Spotted one large pod of dolphins 80-200 metres offshore (25-30 dolphins), which split into two pods. All bottom feeding. Approx 8 am.

Spotted swimmers (individual) ~50 metres offshore (4@ 50m, more closer in) :o

Spotted while fishing the marine breakwall, a 2.5 to 2.8 metre shark.

Newspapers report+photograph 5 metre white pointer 8.40 am ~2000 metres away at Henley.

Conclusions, plenty of bait in the water, some predators. Risk for swimming high. Logical not to go in for a dip. Looked tempting though!!

But in reality, what's the harm in closing the beach for a while??? Why not tag the sharks to know where they are?

How do you hold triathlons or seaswims from Grange to Henley etc? I must admit I have thought about sharks while doing those swims.

DICER

PS. When the guy was taken from Catus beach and the other from Streaky bay some time ago, dolphins+seals were observed hanging in very close inshore. Does that tell you something?

[SeaHunt]

I always thought that if there were dolphins around, there would be no sharks, because the dolphins either chased them away or stayed well clear of them, I guess the dolphins havn't read the same stuff I have. ::)
Render whats all this stuff about not going in the bush etc.. Is evey human on the planet supposed to live and stay in cities? ???
People have been wandering around in the scrub and swimming in the ocean since there have been people.
You just have to be aware of the dangers and accept that you are at risk, make your own decisions and live (or die) by them.
There is no point in hunting down the shark.
There will be more sharks and I can gaurantee you I will still be reading about shark attacks in 10 years time, if one doesn't get me that is. :P

[mini696]

Id start by banning the "so called" research of great whites that require the bearling and dead baits be hung from boats just to attract a shark. Surely this just trains and encourages the animals into associating a boat with food. Then the shark is usually teased into grabbing tuna carcases and lifting its head out of the water.No wonder they follow and nudge boats to see if theres a feed available.

I agree... Its not really researching them in their natural environment. Its pretty freaky seeing a big shark gnawing the transom of your boat!!

I saw a nature show on TV the other day. A fella waited for 6 hours staring at a rock he knew a rattlesnake was under (radar tracking). But he didn't want to lift the rock because he wouldn't see the snake doing its natural thing.

Mick

[DICER]

Ok baiting versus natural methods...people are in favor of no baiting for tagging or recreational divers..... but you really have to ask the question (that's if you're a scientist or not), whether there is a difference between the two techniques, and whether a shark that will pose a risc to humans associates boat with food. For instance would we ban trawling near populated areas?

My question is, where is the data and analysis of such a method for tagging sharks??. To my knowledge, there is little data so far, but I'm sure people are working on that.

Give it a fair chance before making an uninformed decision.

DICER

PS. How much of a great white's diet is human? I'm sure they taste different to seal, dolphin or bull ray. My personal opinion is, drive the sharks out from the beach and reduce the amount of offal in storm water drains directly emptying from westlakes, the patawalonga etc through to the beach. The drains on Glenelg smell a little, and I have actually caught decent mulloway and gummy sharks near there. I'm sure there is a scent.

[Derek Bullock]

For instance would we ban trawling near populated areas?

We surely should. Be more fish for us rec fishers. ;D ;D ;D ;D

Cheers


Derek

[adriancorrea]

also many believe this shark has been hanging around the adelaide beaches for 3 weeks and before the attack the shark was dubbed the adelaide stalker because it had nudged fishing boats and was seen crusing the beachs. The shark took the teenager who was close to shore and therefore i believe if the shark is sighted it should be killed. It seems like it has been hanging around for a month and therefore it poses a threat to human life because of its proxminity to beaches etc.
I dont know about you guys but if a shark was hanging around for that long I wouldnt be going swimming and surfing in that area.
Im all for killing that shark but you would have to be very sure that that is the rogue shark.
Very very hard debate on what to do with this shark but I dont believe killing them will stop other sharks doing what comes natural to them.

Tight Lines
Adrian

[PinHead]

"I think you lot in favour of killing this shark need to remember they are protected,protected against idiots like yourselves"

28th October - " it will take a cyclone to save these sharks from me this wk end, seeyas out there somewhere "

well Rob..are you for or against the killing of sharks ?

Render...seems like your theories are quite old hat:

"Mistaken Identity

The most common myth is that great whites, with their poor vision, attack divers and surfers in wet suits, mistaking them for pinnipeds (seals and sea lions), their main prey. In this scenario, once the animal realizes its mistake, it releases the victim and swims away.

"Completely false," said R. Aidan Martin, director of ReefQuest Centre for Shark Research in Vancouver, Canada. A shark's behavior while hunting a pinniped differs markedly from its demeanor as it approaches people—suggesting that the animal does not confuse surfers for seals.

"I spent five years in South Africa and observed over 1,000 predatory attacks on sea lions by great whites," said Martin. "The sharks would rocket to the surface and pulverize their prey with incredible force."

By comparison, sharks usually approach people with what he calls "leisurely or undramatic behavior." " ..taken from national geographic.

As for the lions etc in Africa..if one attacks a human outside a game reserve it is usually captured and relocated or euthanased..same as tigers in SE Asia.

Snakes..here..if you are bitten you are advised to take the snake with you to the hospital..dead or alive.

As for the young guy that was killed..seems like you are blaming him for his death..I doubt you would if it was one of your kids or family members.

As for the shark..human life comes first..if there is the slightest chance it may attack a human again (which I doubt) then get rid of it...I doubt we are very tasty to sharks...way too bony..not enough meat like a seal or whale.