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The Shark Attack of Andrew Cribb |
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| Date of Incident: |
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January 30, 2002 |
| Time of Day: |
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19h00 |
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| Victim Information |
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| Name of Victim: |
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Andrew Cribb |
| Sex of Victim: |
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M |
| Age of Victim: |
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20 |
| Clothing Worn: |
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Green/ Black
board shorts |
| Injury to Victim: |
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Scrapes, scratches, and arm crushed. |
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| Location Information |
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| Country of Incident: |
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Australia |
| State or Area: |
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New South Wales |
| Exact or Nearest Location: |
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Fingal Spit (Fingal
Beach, Port Stephens) |
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| Activity Information |
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| General Activity |
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Surfing |
| Detailed Activity prior to incident: |
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I had just
pulled of a wave (my best wave of the day) and
started paddling back out to the take off point.
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| Weather & Water Conditions |
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| Air Temp: |
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25 degrees
celcius |
| Clear/Cloudy/Raining: |
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| Water Temp: |
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22 Degrees
Celsius |
| Water Clarity: |
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Clear 10m + |
| Depth of Water: |
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1-3 meters |
| Distance from Shore: |
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150m. |
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| Species Information |
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| Species: |
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Bull |
| Species Length: |
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132inches - 11 feet |
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| Description of incident: |
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Attack Survivor -
Andrew Cribb
Date - 30-Jan-2002
Area - Australia
Following Details written by Andrew Cribb for
SharkAttackSurvivors.com
I was surfing at Fingal Spit (Fingal Beach, Port
Stephens NSW Australia)
it only breaks one or two weeks a year and this was
the best I had ever seen it @ approx 7pm (DST).....
Water conditions -
Beach break/4-6ft Offshore/water approx 22 Degrees
Celcius/ clear Visibility (10m +)/ Depth ranging
between 1-3 metres...
dist from shore approx 150m.
Weather conditions - approx 25 degrees celcius/
clear skies/ sunset (or a little after but enough
light to see....
dark after the 40min walk back to the car)
Clothing - green/black board shorts
No fish etc but there was a dog swimming about 400m
down the beach on the shore.
It was a funny sequence of events. Being a Tuesday I
was meant to be at rugby training but was rostered
on a casual bar shift at the local pub.
When I got to work it was very very quiet so knowing
the surf was good volunteered to go home....
It was a little late to go to rugby so I went
surfing...
There was approx 10 guys out as it was getting
lateish and I had just pulled of a wave (my best
wave of the day) and started paddling back out to
the take off point.
After about 30 seconds of paddling and talking to my
best mate (approx 10 m further out) who had caught
the wave before mine.
Next thing I remember was that I got thrown off my
board after getting hit by something from my left
side.
I surfaced thinking that a dolphin had hit me as
they are always around in that area and heaps of
guys have had close calls before.
I was in the water with my arm over the board when I
saw the shark coming straight at me from the same
direction. It all happened so fast so details are
sketchy....
Next thing I remember was standing on the sand
underwater looking at the shark coming at me.
I sort of got on my back and started kicking as I
was coming....
I flicked its head then tail and came back maybe 3
more times.
At this stage I couldn't see due to the bubbles in
the water and just when I thought I was goners I
popped to the surface.
My board was right next to me so I got on it and
started paddling towards shore....
As I was right next to the break another wave was
coming and I managed to catch it.
I remember going down the face with the fins near my
face so it was upside down and backwards....
somehow I managed to spin/flip it and ride the wave
to shore on my stomach.
Everyone saw it all happening and all paddled into
shore or towards to help as it was happening....
Apparently after I caught the wave it was chasing me
and when the wave broke it turned around and swam
under a few of them on its way out to sea.
The guys also said that I was under water for about
1 minute (but who knows).
In the aftermath I was interview by local television
and newspapers but didn't really say much as I
didn't want it to be blown out of proportion etc.
I will scan copies and send them to you.
I didn't think I was injured (apart from some very
scratches etc) but after a day or so my arm really
started to hurt... I had scans and found out I had
broken my arm (sort of a crush injury)
I was interview by the fisheries dept. scientists
and they concluded that my arm must have got stuck
between the board and the nose of the shark as it
pulled me under with its teeth in my board.
They measured the teeth marks etc and concluded it
was a bull shark of approx. 11ft in length....
For several days there was shark sighting within a 4
km area and a local fisherman laid a bait on a hook
attached to a 20L container as a float and an
anchor..
The next day he checked it and he had indeed caught
a shark. It attacked his 20ft aluminum boat and left
teeth marks in it.
He eventually killed it and had it weighed being
320kgs (from memory I will have to check).
The same scientists checked the shark and they were
99% positive it was the same shark going on
jaw/teeth marks etc.
I'm spewing as my rugby club had a fundraising night
(Hawaiian) a few years later and made us all bring
some boards as decoration... Of course they made me
bring that one.... Unfortunately I left it there
afterwards for a few weeks and there was a fire
which destroyed my board with the bite marks.
Anyway of you have any other questions give me a
yell. Oh yeah I was back in the water at the same
place the next day....
I knew that if I didn't I would be scared forever so
had to get back on the horse as they say.
Kind regards,
Cribby
ANDREW CRIBB |
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| Injury Picture: |
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All the details and pictures of this shark attack are the
property of Andrew Cribb.
Andrew provided this information to Shark Attack
Survivors to share with you.
