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12/13/2009 Boat ( Australia ) No Injury

Listing of the Shark Attack Related Incidents occurring in 2009. 2009 Shark Attacks
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sharkbait
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Re: 12/13/2009 Boat ( Australia ) No Injury

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Great white shark attacks surf boat in northern NSW

Greg Ross holds one of the two teeth left imbedded in his oar after a shark attack. Picture: Liam Driver Source: Herald Sun
Greg Ross holds one of the two teeth left imbedded in his oar after a shark attack. Picture: Liam Driver Source: Herald Sun
12-14-2009-boat-shark-attack.jpg (11.95 KiB) Viewed 15097 times

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
sharkbait
Site Admin
Posts: 1372
Joined: Tue Mar 01, 2005 4:04 pm

12/13/2009 Boat ( Australia ) No Injury

Post by sharkbait »

The boat was about 400 metres off shore when the sweeper's oar was ripped from his hands by the shark


Boat crew's shock as shark gnashes oar
Posted 2 hours 34 minutes ago
Updated 1 hour 35 minutes ago


The shark bit one of the boat's oars (file photo). (Reuters: Ho New)

The boat was about 400 metres off shore when the sweeper's oar was ripped from his hands by the shark - thought to be a juvenile.

Surf boat sweeper, Greg Ross says the crew got the shock of their lives.

"I'd say it probably thought [the oar] was a seal or something just skipping along the water. That's what the rudder does just skips along the water," he said.

"I didn't see it happen. I was just holding the oar and the next thing it was being ripped straight out from behind.

"We all turned around and looked and here's this white pointer with its nose pointed towards the sky, its big red gums and its teeth wrapped around it."

Mr Ross says the shark let go of the oar when it realised it was not edible.

He says it left a couple of teeth in the oar which he has given to his daughter as a souvenir.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2009 ... =australia
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