Predictable, but here we are.
A surfer has been disappeared by what witnesses have described as a “massive” Great White shark at Wharton Beach in south-west WA, a joint often listed among the world’s prettiest hits of sand.
It’s the fourth fatal attack by a Great White in the area since although it’s been five years since local surfer Andrew Sharpe was disappeared by a “monster” Great White in 2020, a day when witnesses reported the water turning red one kilometre away.
That attack came three years after teenager surfer Laticia Brouwers died in front of her family after being hit by a Great White in 2017, where Sean Pollard, 23, had an arm and another hand bitten off by a Great White in 2014 and a few clicks away from where diver Gary Johnson was killed by a White, also in 2020.
The poor soul’s name has yet to be released but expect the usual platitudes about Great Whites in the ocean, rarely happens, bees, car crashes and so on without a second given to the explosion of fatal attacks on surfers.
Local news reports the attack happened around lunch time and quoted Esperance abalone diver and Bite Club member Marc Payne as saying, “We used to have a big diving and surfing community here, but we don’t have that any more.”
It’s been a couple of months since the last fatal attack on a surfer. In January, Streaky Bay local Lance Appleby was killed by a Great White shark, the fourth fatal attack on a surfer by a White in South Australia in less than two years.
Local fisherman Jeff Schmucker said the population of Great White sharks had “exploded” to such an extent surfing there was now a risk no one should take unless you had a jetski patrolling alongside.
In 1999, Australia declared the Great White “vulnerable”and made it illegal to hunt or harass the fish
Since then,
RIP Peter Edmonds, Tadashi Nakahara, Rob Pedretti, Mani Hart-Deville, Mark Sanguinetti, Tim Thompson, Nick Slater, Cameron Bales, Jean Wright, Nick Peterson, Simon Baccanello, Todd Gendle, Khai Cowley, Lance Appleby, Brad Smith, Nick Edwards, Kyle Burden, Ben Linden, Chris Boy, Ben Gerring, Laeticia Brouwer and Andrew Sharpe, RIP today’s anonymous surfer.
Add to the list all those surfers whose lives have been irrevocably changed by a Great White attack, as well as the swimmers, snorkelers and spear fishermen who’ve died since 2000, and the numbers become insane.
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Your perspective is wrong, it’s the annual human cull on the sharks side.
That depends what you mean. Vaccines are good. Glyphosate, not so much.
very sad news.
becoming an all too common occurrence these days.
condolences to the family and friends.
How many people have to die before there is a cull of large and aggressive sharks in this area?
Ever been there? Some of the most isolated beaches in WA. Dozens and dozens of granite islands, whales,, seals , birds , full David Attenbourough country, Shark habitat
Better off with a catch and kill immediately plan than just a generalised call for a “cull” of all sharks in the southern ocean.
RIP and condolences
I like to imagine there’s a world where the spectrum of voices – all the way from ‘sharks are killing machines and nothing more’ to the ‘sharks are more important than humans’ – could get together and find reasonable solutions. Acknowledge objective truths such as there is a great need for the animals in regulating the ecological system to keep a prosperous, sustaining ocean. But also, people are being ripped apart in the animals mouth, killing them.
But who am I kidding. Honest conversations are for LOSERS. Let’s yell at one another!
Thankfully you upvoted your own comment! The ratio would have not have broke even had you not!
Sharks don’t have hands, and they love Australians!….
Yes, we’re tasty. Stick to the pool
Yes! Me love you long time!…
This is not the place and time, mate.
Odds of what? Getting bitten in 2foot of salt water? What about the children that live on Islands in Fiji, compared to a Grizzly at your Mom’s house!? There’s no money in it for me, I could give two shits….
Heard there were two others in the water and a girlfriend watching from the beach. Truly horrible. RIP, another victim, and condolences to all. Fuck the gravy train scientists and ignoramuses. Hope the Fisheries Dept, and/or local fisho’s, act immediately by catching and killing this shark. It won’t be far away. Dreadful to think this could be the same old big creature repeating its opportune attack and feeding behaviour in this area.
Public-facing “gravy train scientists” rarely exist and when they do, they sell-out their scientific integrity to ethically corrupt industries like oil, tobacco etc.
Typical CSIRO (or other academic institutions) researchers are just hard-working people who are passionate about data collection to find valid facets of knowledge about the world.
Don’t believe the anti-greenie hype the Murdoch press and petrochemical astroturfing campaigns throw at you. Follow the money. It ain’t with ‘scientists’ any more than it is with nurses or school teachers.
No worries CB, I am a firm believer in science. But I also believe in good old common sense. If a croc, tiger, bear or dog killed a human, and was caught and put down, there would be little, if any, public protest, never mind more tax payers money spent on further research, especially when a horrible reality is in plain sight, and something better can be done with regards to public safety. Cheers.
A tragic incident. The likelihood of catching the shark responsible is quite remote. They are migratory and can travel hundreds of miles in a day. Killing a shark in retaliation for an attack on a human is asinine. Nature has made them an apex predator and the ocean is their environment. People take a risk when entering that environment. We all have to accept that risk or else stay out of the water.
Terrible. RIP & condolences to family and friends.
Sharks are infinitely nicer to be around than Israeli’s and no surprise that pro Israeli’s and shark haters are all too often one and the same.
How about hamas? they cool with you?
No. Obviously.
What about pro-apartheid South Africans – cool with them?
Definitely not.
you never mention them
Huh? Check my previous comments. I regularly highlight the equivalence between Hamas and the IDF/Israeli government.
my bad
Biggest shark I’ve seen was at this joint. Was about 20 metres away from it and saw it’s entirety swimming thru the crystal clear wave. Rip fella.
do you need attention? Go to the middle east. Or go to SCHOOL. Keyboard warior, looser. you are on the wrong side, buddy. Terrorists and rapists. Not funny
I’m guessing you missed spelling lessons. Or probably just school.
english is my4th language. and i still speak better than you.
Hahahahaha
What’s body count now 48000 or so , great job jewnazie
whats the islamic terrorist body count?
no points for second champ
Its so crazy that you give Israel more shit than you give islamic terrorism
Shut up. We’re doing sharks
everyone knows nazisraelis are racist and terrorists..Thanks to Eran Efrati and all the Breaking the Silence ext soldiers its explicitly obvious
and what is hamas? shouldnt you be digging a tunnel somewhere?
you celebrate the people who are fucking up America….but hey, nazisraelis love subservient little pawns
you talk, but you never say anything
step away from your mirror
that was easy
ok….so let the Israelis say it then: “Rights Groups Demand Israel Stop Arming neo-Nazis in Ukraine;
https://www.haaretz.com/isr…
stop saying nothing
might be you chewing too much foreskin
were done dumb ass, you had your chance, fucken idiot.
step away from your mirror and stop talking to yourself dummy.
You are a nazi now, be proud of who you are little douche
are you a kid?
Truly sick stuff. We’re discussing sharks. Or if you must, discuss Putin etc. No its never Putin.