Queensland Times:
Shark bites hand of swimmer, in Brisbane River
2/26/2005
By PETER FOLEY and DANIEL SANKEY
EAST Ipswich teenager Nathan Shaxson has his very own shark tale to tell after he was attacked by a bull shark in the Brisbane River.
Nathan said that on Saturday he was swimming with a friend near the boat ramp at Karalee when he was bitten by a shark on his head and finger.
The 18-year-old managed to fend off the shark after the unexpected attack. He said it never occurred to him that sharks were in the river.
University of Queensland professor Craig Franklin, who had studied Brisbane River bull sharks for the past four years, said he was
not surprised to hear of a man being attacked.
Bull sharks were believed responsible for the deaths of two men in Gold Coast canals in recent years.
Professor Franklin said apart from their large head, hence their name, bull sharks were known for their sometimes aggressive nature.
Professor Franklin and PhD student Richard Pillans have caught bull sharks up to 1.5m long in the Brisbane River. The sharks can grow up to 3.5m.
Nathan said he went to the river on Saturday with his friend Wade. They were swimming near the boat ramp when his strange adventure started.
"Me and Wade were near the boat jetty just mucking around," Nathan said.
"I got bitten by a wasp so I ducked my head underwater to get rid of it. Then boom! He bit me.
"I was thinking it was my mate mucking around and then it was just shaking me and shaking me."
With his head under water, he blindly reached up to push away his attacker.
His left index finger went into the shark's mouth, he said.
02/26/2005 Nathan Shaxson (Australia)
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