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11/08/2007 Craig Evans (Australia) No Injury

Shark Attack Survivors News Archive for Shark Attacks in 2007.
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sharkbait
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Re: 11/08/2007 Craig Evans (Australia) No Injury

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CRAIG Evans got the shock of his life when a shark bit his surfboard at Byron Bay, throwing him into the water and tearing his wetsuit.




b]These teeth marks are from a shark[/b]

Andrew MacDonald
12Nov07
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CRAIG Evans got the shock of his life when a shark bit his surfboard at Byron Bay, throwing him into the water and tearing his wetsuit.

The 38-year-old father of two was surfing more than 100m off-shore at Wategoes Beach last Thursday when what he believes was a 1.8m bull shark struck his board about 1.30pm.

The experienced surfer, who has lived in the Byron Bay area for about 20 years, spent a harrowing few seconds in the water as the shark circled.

Keeping his composure, Mr Evan's pushed away from the creature before scrambling back on to his board and frantically paddling ashore.

The Mullumbimby banana plantation owner said the encounter with the shark was among the most terrifying experiences of his life.

"I surf on a daily basis. I've seen a few sharks over the years. I surfed over one once but I had not had physical contact before," he said.

"It's bitten on to the board. I didn't see it coming. It just nicked my leg as well and put holes in my wetsuit. It didn't break the skin.

Despite his confusion, he said he was amazed the shark hadn't attacked once he landed in the water.

"The initial impact knocked me from the board but after that it (the shark) has just sort of circled round inspecting things," he said.

"It really just seemed as though it needed pushing away. I didn't have to fight it off.

"Really the first sort of thing I thought was that this is out of my control. It was going to do what it wanted. If it wanted to eat me it would have."
While shaken by his ordeal, he was back surfing at Wategoes the next day.

It was initially thought he had been attacked by a bronze whaler but after talking to a local fisherman he thinks it was a bull shark.
"It was very black and it came in so close to me that I couldn't really see its head," he said.

"A local fisherman inspected the board and he was pointing out the bite marks, and that's what he seemed to think. Again based on the bite marks the fisherman seemed to think it was about 6ft (1.8m)."
sharkbait
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11/08/2007 Craig Evans (Australia) No Injury

Post by sharkbait »

No Byron man survives shark attack

10.11.2007
By RACHEL AFFLICK rachel.afflick@northernstar.com.au

LIFEGUARDS are on the alert after yet another shark attack off Byron Bay threatened the life of a beachgoer.

Local man Craig Evans was surfing off Wategos Beach at 2.20pm on Thursday when a shark struck him from behind, knocking him off his surfboard and leaving teeth marks in his board and lacerations in his wetsuit.

It was so close that I pushed it and kind of guided it away from my body. I jumped back on my board and paddled back to shore and didnt look back, Craig said in a media statement. He could not estimate the size of the shark as it came so close, but said it was as least as big as his surfboard.

Far North Coast Lifeguard Supervisor Peter Leahy said lifeguards had received no furthers sightings of the shark, believed to be a large Bronze Whaler.

But he said in recent weeks there had been a number of sightings of sharks which lifeguards were taking very seriously.

Meanwhile, a month after she was attacked at Byron Bays Main Beach, shark survivor Linda Whitehurst still fears going into the open ocean
Hearing of this weeks shark attack will not make matters easier for the Byron Bay sportswoman., who is still recovering from the emotional toll of the incident.

When I was training in the Brunswick River my polarised sunglasses played tricks on me. I kept thinking, Oh my god, whats that dark shadow? Linda said.

But she will take a brave step this weekend when she competes in the Northcliffe Outrigger Canoe Club Regatta, her first water sports event since being knocked from her surf ski and attacked by a three-metre Great White Shark.

Linda was feeling confident about the race, which is to be held in the protected waters of The Spit at Southport. But she isnt ready to face the open ocean off Byron Bay quite so soon.

Im giving myself some time out of Byron waters, she said. Im having a new canoe made and when its right in about a month I hope to get back into things.

http://www.northernstar.com.au/localnew ... ubsection=
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