Great White sharks flock to Australia's north coast!
Is it only four weeks since the Great White’s terrific assault upon the beachgoers of Western Australia? Do you remember?
Two fatal attacks in one week, one a surfer, one a diver.
Meanwhile, on the opposite coast, from Newcastle to Byron Bay, sharks, Great Whites mostly, have closed beaches, ripped a swimmer from the shallows, killed surfers and terrorised a community built around the game of surf.
As Owen and Tyler (and Mikey) Wright’s father Rob told the Australian newspaper last year:
“We’ve never seen anything like this. We’re all over it. We live up up here and we surf up here, but this is all we’re thinking about. The married guys, they’re not allowed to go surfing. The young guys with kids, they’re thinking about it all the time. Everybody is.”
According to the story, “Wright has had two sharks swim beneath his board in recent weeks. One — ‘a fricken big thing’ about 4m long with a pointy head and wide body — was chasing a fish at full speed. “It was flying, but it wasn’t after me, thankfully.”
Oowee.
And, as revealed today, again by The Australian,
“Two white pointers have been caught using “smart” drum lines off Ballina this morning, as great whites return to the NSW north coast, which was plagued by attacks and sightings last year.
“Aerial contractors and local authorities have spotted more than a dozen great white sharks stalking north coast beaches in the past 24 hours.”
“Surfers were evacuated off Sharpes Beach, at Ballina, this morning. Great white sharks have also been spotted off Forster, Coffs Harbour, Crescent Head, Hawks Nest, Broken Head and Shelly Beach since Saturday.
And,
“The NSW north coast has become a “white shark highway” in recent years, with the apex predators attracted close to shore by a perfect mix of water temperature, whale migration and food stocks.”
Are you, like me, thrilled by the rude good health of Australia’s great white stocks?
Are you, like me, not planning on surfing the Ballina to Byron stretch anytime soon?
To many people in the water surfing now days. Drones in the sky seeing big fish from the air that have always been there. Be safe look at the Ocean before going out there and don’t play while schools of fish are being chased by bigger fish. Or please just move inland and leave the Ocean and her
residents alone!
Live in ballina and just never feel 100% relaxed when out there anymore. Its fckd.
Wont go near Southwall anymore.
So many close calls recently its only a matter of time.
Watch the culling discussion go full throttle when a 12yr old kid surfing gets taken whole.
Attacks on 20+ yr olds are very different to kids.
Watch the anger if it happens to be identified as being from a tagged shark!
NSW government will change their mind on a white cull quicker than toledo paddling at big pipe.
The eco white experts always say “we dont know anything about them” Exactly, so how do you even know the numbers of them.
Also , Why r we tagging bull sharks also! They arent protected and breed like rabbits.
If ya looked at Dorsal app everyday youd stop going into the ocean.
Time to let Vic Hislop loose at Ballina/Byron.
I reckon there’s a variety of reasons and local knowledge paints part of the picture but we wont ever know exactly. I know I’m thinking about it a whole lot surfing Nth Wall.
It’s not the earlies, whites cruising all day every day.
I had a good chat with chief DPI shark scientist Dr Vic Pedemoors and he told me Fred Pawle is a cunt.
Only kidding Fred.
He told me that they have no fucking clue what is bringing the whites inshore and in such numbers.
Personally, like most people around here I believe after 20 years of protection, the massive decrease in commercial fishing effort and subsequent rebound in inshore fish biomass, that we are seeing the recovery in white shark numbers and this is a new normal.
did you happen to ask if burying dead whales on the beach , as they did 1 week before Tadashi was killed has any affect?
LongTom, Great to hear Vic Pedemoors actually has a voice! I’d been hassling him via email without reply for months. Why? Well simple: a mate was attacked by a shark – specifically, his board was bitten (witnessed by me) and we completed an ‘indecent report’, compiled images and fired ’em off to the good Doc. for species verification (Vic is you’re reading this – please reply mate).
Mullet are running amok and the whales are back on my stretch of coast. It’s only a matter of time sadly, until we have another attack.
whereabouts was that Kris?
Crescent. Adjacent ‘surge rock’ off the point.
Initially DPI/Fisheries were stoked: they took photos & measurements, then suggested Vic. best get involved…
Mate’s girlfriend posted on Dorsal (kooks misquoted her) – that’s when the HATERS came to the fore – (arrrgggh social media!).
Hasn’t – and won’t – stop either of us surfing, although the late and early aint so late nor early. Thanks for the reply.
What a bunch of drama queens , it’s simple stop fucking burying whales on the beach!! Reilly/ shearer
, try being real journalists for once in your life , and ask the hard questions !!
Is this the real MC or an imposter?
We’re both kinda amazed they (DPI/Fisheries) haven’t replied (our Tax dollars hard at work eh?) as one would assume they would be all over ANY data they could obtain… guess Vic. is a busy man.
I counted 30 whales in about 45 mins cruising north Sunday 3 with calves in my location. Combine increased whale numbers with lack commercial fishing = more fish in general to support larger pop of sharks
Perfect storm???
Maybe need drum lines all way up coast from Port Stephens to Border seems to work for QLD
Whatever was going on in the past that kept these guys’ numbers down needs to come back.
I too would like to know what this was.
Local shark fisherman here are blaming the high licence fees, in turn killing their trade. Less sharks caught, more sharks thriving. It’s only my opinion but I think it’s possible to over protect a species.
I literally just moved to Lennox on Saturday… This could change the amount of earlys I go for
Up until last year, I would regularly head south to surf this area. I mean it’s heaven down there -Warm water, relatively uncrowded, lots of classic little set ups. But a couple of sightings personally, plus the attacks have really taken the shine off it for me. I find myself welcoming the crowds of the Gold Coast these days. Pussy? Maybe – but a mate was there when old mate from Japan got a double amputation and from all reports it was fucked up. Not saying I’ll never surf down there, but yeah dbah seems a lot more appealing than north wall these days.
I know two people who were there when Tadashi got his legs bitten off.
both severely traumatised.
Matt Lee’s attack was no picnic either and he is only alive today via a series of very fortunate events. He was gone, bled out, grey, when they got to him.
Hearing about your friends trauma, makes me want to know more details regarding Mick’s “Close Encounter of the Apex Kind.” Know doubt both Mick and Julian may experience some form of PTSD. Just remember the look of Peter Mel “shock”. What do the experts say from the footage of Mick? Very interesting..
What if we caught all the whites in the wild and put them in an inland sanctuary, and called it wavepool plus.