Re: 12/13/2009 Boat ( Australia ) No Injury
Posted: Mon Dec 14, 2009 7:28 pm
Great white shark attacks surf boat in northern NSW
A GREAT white shark that attacked a surf boat - leaving two teeth embedded in an oar - was just one of dozens seen swimming close to shore each week off a popular mid-north NSW beach.
The 2-3m shark left two large teeth embedded in the timber of a surf boat sweeper's oar during the encounter about 400m off Hawks Nest Beach, north of Newcastle.
Plumber Greg Ross, who had hold of the oar at the time, said he felt "a great big thump" and looked around to see the shark writhing on the surface with the oar in its mouth.
"Its head was pointing towards the sky and you could see its eyes and its gob open with these big red lips wrapped around the oar," he said of Saturday's attack.
"It was there for a good minute before it must have thought it didn't taste too good and then it turned around and was gone."
Shark attacks are on the rise in Australia, with figures released this year showing attacks have quadrupled in the past decade.
Hawks Nest locals said the number of great white sightings had also increased dramatically.
Their beach is at the northern end of a known great white shark nursery, where juvenile predators feed on salmon before heading into deeper water.
Mr Ross, who is also a volunteer lifeguard at the beach, said he and his colleagues saw great whites "all the time", passing beneath their rescue boards as they paddled past the breakers. "But they don't worry us too much. We call them our pets," he said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/surf-c ... 5810359384
A GREAT white shark that attacked a surf boat - leaving two teeth embedded in an oar - was just one of dozens seen swimming close to shore each week off a popular mid-north NSW beach.
The 2-3m shark left two large teeth embedded in the timber of a surf boat sweeper's oar during the encounter about 400m off Hawks Nest Beach, north of Newcastle.
Plumber Greg Ross, who had hold of the oar at the time, said he felt "a great big thump" and looked around to see the shark writhing on the surface with the oar in its mouth.
"Its head was pointing towards the sky and you could see its eyes and its gob open with these big red lips wrapped around the oar," he said of Saturday's attack.
"It was there for a good minute before it must have thought it didn't taste too good and then it turned around and was gone."
Shark attacks are on the rise in Australia, with figures released this year showing attacks have quadrupled in the past decade.
Hawks Nest locals said the number of great white sightings had also increased dramatically.
Their beach is at the northern end of a known great white shark nursery, where juvenile predators feed on salmon before heading into deeper water.
Mr Ross, who is also a volunteer lifeguard at the beach, said he and his colleagues saw great whites "all the time", passing beneath their rescue boards as they paddled past the breakers. "But they don't worry us too much. We call them our pets," he said.
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/surf-c ... 5810359384