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05/25/2005 Jay Catarall (Australia)

Shark Attack Survivors News Archive for Shark Attacks in 2005
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sharkbait
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05/25/2005 Jay Catarall (Australia)

Post by sharkbait »

Shark bites British surfer

By SUN ONLINE REPORTER

A BRITISH surfer needed 100 stitches after he was attacked by a shark in South Africa today.

Jay Catarall, 32, was surfing with two other people when he was bitten on both buttocks and the back of his legs, a spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute said.

The incident happened at the mouth of the River Kei in the Eastern Cape, an area not normally associated with shark activity.

After receiving treatment, Mr Catarall returned to his hotel to recuperate.

Initial reports suggested he was attacked by a ragged tooth shark.

Shark Board officials are investigating
Last edited by sharkbait on Wed Apr 19, 2006 12:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.
sharkbait
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Post by sharkbait »

I'll be back, UK surfer says after attack

from http://www.capetimes.co.za/index.php?fS ... Id=2535978

'I didn't feel shark biting me' May 27, 2005

By Chandré Prince

East London: A 32-year-old British tourist is recovering in his hotel, with 100 stitches and major cuts to his body, after narrowly escaping death in an attack by what is believed to have been a ragged-tooth shark.

Jay Catherall, of Worcester, England, and two other surfers were riding the waves at Whacky Point in Kei Mouth - a spot famous for its beach breaks - when the attack took place on Wednesday.

Catherall remained conscious throughout and was able to give a vivid description of his first encounter with a shark, although it had taken place "in a flash".

"I felt something pulling me backwards. I thought it was just the current. But after the second pull I realised it was something in the water," Catherall said from his Morgan Bay holiday accommodation.

After the second "pull", Catherall said, the shark disappeared and he managed to float with his surfboard to the shore.

It was only then that he realised he had been bitten - twice. He had not felt "a thing", he said.

"It wasn't a violent attack. I did not feel any of the biting. It was just a sensation. I remember repeatedly beating the shark on the nose,"
he said.




Chris Bodgers, of Morgan Bay, one of the men surfing with Catherall at the time, said: "I must admit that we broke a few of the rules when entering the water."

He explained that, although the water was clear, there was a sardine run as well as a shad run. Also, a school of dolphins was spotted and gannets were diving into the sea.

"The sea was busy - it was like an aquarium. It was dodgy," Bodgers said.

"We probably shouldn't have entered the water, but all was clear and we were just hoping to catch a few waves."

Bodgers, who had been "riding the wave of my life", did not see the attack.

District surgeon Nico Veltman spent three hours stitching the gaping wounds to Catherall's buttocks, upper left leg and right arm.

Catherall, who visits the area from England every winter with his wife Nicky, was adamant the incident wouldn't put him off the sport.

"I'm so lucky. It was a close call, but I'll be heading for the surf as soon as I heal."
sharkbait
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Post by sharkbait »

JOHANNESBURG, May 25 (Reuters) - A South African surfer was attacked by what was believed to be a ragged-tooth shark on Wednesday, a rare incident involving a predator that seldom clashes with humans.

The attack took place at a popular surfing spot on the Eastern Cape, police spokesman Mzukisi Fatyela said, confirming local media reports.

"A surfer was attacked and bitten on the left buttock and was treated for his injuries," he said.

The South African Broadcasting Corporation reported that the shark was believed to be a ragged-tooth, which looks sinister but seldom bites humans unless provoked.

"Ragged-tooth sharks usually do not initiate an attack. The surfer may have disturbed it by falling off his board and bumping into it," said Mike Anderson-Reade, deputy CEO of operations at the Natal Sharks Board.

Attacks by the larger and more fierce great white shark are far more common. In March, a British tourist had a narrow escape when a 5-metre (15 foot) Great White tore into a diving cage about 100 km (60 miles) southeast of Cape Town.

The International Shark Attack File says 61 attacks were reported in the world last year, seven of which were fatal.
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