“Someone will eventually have to take responsibility for these attacks”
Two Western Australian divers killed by Great Whites in two weeks, the latest death earlier today in the waters off a joint called Albany, ten hours or so drive south of Perth.
Two weeks you’ll remember, a fifteen-footer killed spear fisherman and daddy of two, Steven Mattaboni, who was thirty eight. Steve had been diving in the gorgeous blue waters of Horseshoe Reef at Rottnest Island there, a short ferry ride from the port city of Fremantle.
The attack marked the twenty-second shark attack fatality in Western Australia since 2000.
That number clicked over to twenty one today when a thirty-five-year-old man was killed by a fifteen-foot Great White while he was spearfishing with family members near Michaelmas Island, about 13 clicks off the coast of Albany.
Rotto, Albany, spear fishing, yeah, you gotta expect Whites here and there.
But don’t it all these attacks seem a little too frequent.
Great White sharks have been federally protected in Australia since the 1990s under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, reflecting conservation efforts to recover populations, although no definitive number was given of the population then or now.
Joel Nancarrow, of Hunter Shark Jaw Restoration, a man rapidly becoming the most important voice in the shark debate, posted his reaction on Facebook.
So there’s another shark attack today off WA. When are they going to fucking learn… it seems like a weekly thing and we’re flogging a dead horse, but the reason we post all the shark attacks is so we can come back on all these in years to come and say that we saw it all happening and nothing was done about it and someone will eventually have to take responsibility for these attacks.”
Any thoughts?
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That video is a pretty good summary of the dead horse I’ve been flogging. He even points out the waves are good.
Three ocean recreation users killed in Western Australia in three weeks.
And there are still people out there who don’t think the massive over-population of large sharks in near-shore waters in Australia is a problem.
no they are not a problem at all…read below……when you go spearfishing next to a seal colony where it’s known there are GWS…as that’s their favorite food……you are dressed in a black wetsuit….with fish that have been speared…….and yeah a GWS chomps on ya…doesn’t eat you, as we taste like shit to GWS’s, the bite reveals seal blubber way more better….the stupidity of people that don’t/ won’t see that they are diving in GWS dining room…dressed as a seal……FFS…
Your analysis blames the victim – as in ‘The dumb bitch wore a short skirt and no knickers to the pool hall at 03:00 and was surprised when she was raped”
Completely wrong.
The problem is not Australians using the ocean for recreational activities like surfing and spearfishing, as they have done since white fellas from Britain stole the continent from the native aboriginals, but laws that prioritise the health, safety and well-being of large sharks ahead of people.
Until those laws are changed and a cull of thousands of large 3 meter or more sharks from near-shore Australian waters can be undertaken, ocean users will continue to die on the regular, including surfers.
my analysis is the spear fisherman dressed as a seal, with dead fish chumming the water…….in their dining room…….they didn’t get eaten, just bitten…….yeah so there is owning bad behavior…..as for a woman dressed inappropriately in a pool hall …take some responsibility….
Victim-blaming is always wrong.
In legal terms, what you are doing is arguing that a victim’s behavior implied consent.
“He dressed in a black wetsuit to look like a seal and trailed speared fish on a string, therefore he gave consent to a nearby large shark to bite and kill him”
Obviously wrong.
Again, the problem isn’t people like surfers and spearfishermen using the ocean for recreational purposes –
The problem is a massive proliferation of large sharks since legal protection in 1999.
The solution is to REMOVE thousands of large sharks from near-shore waters in Australia, or more people are going to die.
Are you going to represent “Bruce” the Great White in Court?
Shark is just being a Shark
Human is dressed up like a seal, at an all you can eat buffet. The smell of burnt toast draws them in like most Cafe’s here do…
Shark is a local and been here for 100’s of millions of years and a new menu item rocks up.
“I’ll give it a taste”
PS I hate SHARKS
I think you might not be being serious, but very concerning if you are.
have you ever heard of…”duty of care?”
when you say, “Victim-blaming is always wrong.
In legal terms, what you are doing is arguing that a victim’s behavior implied consent.
“He dressed in a black wetsuit to look like a seal and trailed speared fish on a string, therefore he gave consent to a nearby large shark to bite and kill him”
So the victims , who weren’t eaten , have 100% priority over every situation…even if they covered themselves in seal blood, jumped into a pack GWS’s , and then blamed the sharks for getting bitten.
You say the victims have zero responsibility at sorting out a duty of care……and if sharks attack a bloodied food source…well kill em……there are not thousands of large ( bigger than 5 m) sharks……
the easy solution is learn to mitigate risk when surfing…or surf in a pool!
Really, Maurice?
“The victims, who weren’t eaten”
Ummmm – they are DEAD, so it is irrelevant if they were “eaten” or not!
At this point, with the massive proliferation of large sharks on the near-shore coastlines of Australia since legal protections were enacted in 1999, the only way to mitigate the “risk” of surfing is not to go into the ocean at all.
I guess your customers won’t be needing a new board anytime soon, as they will all have quit surfing, too bloody dangerous!
yes really…..they are dead because of their actions….own it……but they weren’t eaten because humans are not on the sharks menu…..do you understand it’s only misadventure by people who are either undereducated on sharks behavior….or they knew the risks and died…..but not eaten….
I have grown up with big GWS’s , not juveniles…….if it feels sharky…don’t surf…if it’s late or early in the morning …don’t surf in area know for sharks!
not being driven by money means I don’t give a shit about less surfers….and reality is nothing will change , so deal with it…or not…at least there are pools now…and I have refused to design boards for pools…as it’s only money and I have other design adventures I am currently doing….
“if it feels sharky…don’t surf”
If that’s your only plan to deal with the proliferation of THOUSANDS of large 3 meter plus sharks in near–shore waters around Australia since protective legislation was enacted in 1999 – some sort of vague intuition message of no scientific validity whatsoever, then you are in danger of being killed by a large shark.
If intuition is your only plan for protection, be sure to recite incantations to your imaginary omnipotent Sky Daddy “Supreme Being” before you paddle out and strap a placebo Sharkbanz to your ankle – the combination of intuition, religion and pseudoscience should give you complete, head to toe imaginary protection from ANY shark!
if you are scared, like in big waves…..don’t go out…..if I get eaten by a big GWS…so be it….what a way to go……in the ocean doing what I love….just like if I drowned…so what……he dies doing what he loved……would never use a sharkbanz…….I mitigate risk….and take my chances…..I own my behavior….as for the supreme being…will you have donny taco as your mentor/exampe!
“yes really…..they are dead because of their actions”
Using the ocean for recreational purposes anywhere in Australia is getting people killed on the regular – and, somehow: these people are at fault for getting themselves killed when the government PRIORITISES the health, safety and well-being of large sharks over that of human beings?
The ultimate victim-blaming scenario and completely wrong.
You should be ashamed of yourself for such statements.
in your world , victim blaming is always wrong……so were the victims of the shark attacks aware they were in a GWS feeding zone…..of course they were…and not sure where you get your data/info from but there is no massive proliferation of big Whites…….and yes more people will die, do you know people die everyday….driving in a car has more risks than surfing…….and really not sure if you know anything about australia’s GWS’s…how many have you ever interacted with here in Australia?
Indeed, in western legal codes “victim blaming” is always wrong as it ignores the basic facts of a situation and instead, says the victim caused their own problems.
“He was run over by a bus because he did not look both ways before crossing the street – it’s his own damn fault”
“He was killed by one bite from a large shark while surfing as he was so stupid as to use the ocean as a recreational resource”
In other cultures, particularly Muslim cultures, “victim blaming” is acceptable, even encouraged –
“She refused the arranged marriage to her 65 year old first cousin, so we had to kill her to restore family honour, it’s her fault she’s dead”
Perhaps you belong to a culture other than Western concepts and values as your statements are victim-blaming anti-science rubbish and completely without merit, as in “no massive proliferation of big Whites” which is completely wrong.
All parties, pro-shark and anti-shark, agree there are far more large sharks; including Great Whites, in near-shaore Australian waters since protective legislation was enacted in 1999.
That is an indisputable fact.
“People die everyday, driving in a car has more risks than surfing”
And – thanks to government action, like mandatory seat-belt use and zero tolerance for drunk driving, which used to be quite common in Australia, it is far safer to drive a motor vehicle on the road today than it has ever been –
“In 1950, Australia’s road accident fatality rate was approximately 10.5 deaths per 100,000 population, which dramatically fell to 4.8 deaths per 100,000 population by the end of 2025. Despite a massive increase in the total population and the number of vehicles on the road over those 75 years, the per capita risk of dying in a car crash has been slashed by more than half”
For people using the ocean for recreational purposes, the opposite is true – it is far MORE dangerous to go into the ocean for recreational purposes in Australia than it has ever been!
“In nearly 100 years from 1900 to 1999, there were 153 fatalities resulting from unprovoked shark attacks in Australian waters. Since protective federal legislation was enacted under the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC Act) in 1999, there have been 63 confirmed fatal shark attacks in Australia.
According to official data maintained by the [Australian Shark-Incident Database (ASID)](1.2.8, 1.3.5), 59 of these fatalities occurred between 2000 and January 2026, with 4 additional fatalities recorded subsequently in 2026. Over 90% of these incidents involved the “big three” large shark species: the great white shark, tiger shark, and bull shark”
That’s the whole point –
This situation is completely unnecessary and people are DYING because of government inaction and inappropriate legislation that favours the health, safety and well-being of large sharks over human life.
That’s just wrong, and until the shark-protection statues are removed and a cull of large sharks can take place in near-shore Australian waters people will continue to die on the regular.
LOL, so yeah there seems to be about 3 deaths a year from Shark attacks…..some are spearfisherman…..so 3 people a year die…you are shit scared of that stat and want to cull all sharks that present a threat to humns…so all GWS;s/Tigers and Bulls……LOL….decimate the environment so you might feel a bit safer…….and still no guarantees you got all sharks….so cull to mitigate risk…ain’t gunna happen….so deal with reality….and as for all the victim shit…LOL…love your woke response, LOL!
have you ever seen a GWS?
153 people killed by sharks in Australia from 1900 – 1999, 99 years is an average of 1.55 shark-related deaths per year.
63 people killed by sharks from 1999 to 2026, 27 years is an average 2.33 shark fatalities per year.
The chances of being killed by a shark in Australia have significantly increased since 1999 –
Statistical facts – not hearsay, anecdotal evidence or general carpark bullshit.
Actual. Statistical. Facts.
Are you getting it?
so 3 people a year die from shark attacks in Australia……insignificant compared to lightning strike/drownings in pools/death by bees……I imagine that the first 100 years not too many people in the ocean…the last 30 years incredible increase in recreational use……looks like a very low level of risk surfing….but then you don’t surf in Australia, have probably never seen or surfed with a GWS …so your opinion is irrelevant…….
Just to make it crystal-clear –
An increase from 1.55 to 2.33 is a 50.32% increase.
So, a surfer in Australia now has a 50% INCREASE in the chances of being killed by a shark in 2026 than they did in the previous 99 years until 1999 and the passing of legislation protecting sharks in Australia, which has resulted in a exponential increase in the number of large sharks in near-shore Australian waters in the past 27 years.
No wonder so many people are dead.
These are people that died for no reason other than the Australian government cares more for the health, safety and well-being of large sharks than it does for human beings.
If getting killed by a large shark while surfing anywhere in Australia is fine with you, that’s your business but I think that statement is simply the false bravado of a person who has lost the argument.
I get it, and I hate large sharks too.
They have been around for a lot longer than us.
I don’t blame them for getting hungry.
Not sure they don’t like the taste of us. The Muriwai, NZ attack kinda dispelled that. The shark hung around, then came back in. Sharks tend to hit bigger prey hard, then let them bleed-out. Less risk for the shark that way. Difference is, other humans step in and rescue the victim, or shoot at the shark with a rifle from a Naiad.
ever seen a big sharks attack a seal or dead whale …??
If sharks like the taste of humans ….well the 3 divers who died in the last couple of weeks….would have been eaten….so many attacks where the person attacked bleeds out because of the bite!
Na, but their mates rescue them. Seals aren’t so heroic. Pretty sure it’s common for a shark to hit a seal, then circle it.
not a big one…..only GWS’s over 14′ have the strength in their jaws to chew on blubber!
Have you read anything about that Muriwai fatality? It was bloody gruesome. I was working for a news org at the time and sat-in on the reports coming in. Not sure if you know Dave Wassel well, but he was there. Ocean swimmer swam past the rock point where a dense crew were fishing and hauling-in a serious catch, a fishing mag later reported. Poor guy swam right over the boil-up. He was by himself and nobody on the rocks, including Dave and one of the Malloy brothers, could really do anything about it. A lifeguard launched an IRB and raced out to him. Not sure if the cop with him was a second time out, but there’s notorious footage of the officer shooting a rifle at the shark, which apparently kept surging back whenever they’d attempt a rescue.
Firing JBay. Released today.
The comments. Oof!
“…someone will eventually have to take responsibility for these attacks”
This guy must know something that no actual scientist or researcher is aware of. Pretty ignorant to think the issue is somehow the responsibility of one person or one entity. Maybe it’s a naturally occurring phenomena that we haven’t figured out yet genius.
how about the divers taking responsibility , for diving near seal colonies…theres a start !
G day mate, hope you’re well sir. Remember when Donny said he could end the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East in 24 hours and a cuppla phone calls?
wow , ya back……….tip /don’t get pissed and comment,LOL…..
Yeah donny Taco , I think we can all see he couldn’t negotiate with a hooker in a whorehouse…….sorry he did, Stormy D got $150 K …..LOL!!!
Where’s the fun in that bruz hahahaha
Great to see you both back
Thanks heaps mate
Swimming under water a long way out to sea while dragging bleeding dead fish you have shot is inherently more dangerous than surfing sharkwise .
Much braver also.
next to a seal colony!
Very, very sad. Time for a cull. Release the sport fishermen. The sharks will bounce back in no time, once the numbers have been reduced again.
For those who were thinking of checking out soccer again, here’s Scottish actor Brian Cox talking about his love of the sport. Skip to 6:57
Got any evidence to back the claim that sharks will bounce back in no time? We disregarding what affect said culling will have on the ecosystem as a whole?
My evidence is that the sharks bounced back this time; once the year 2000 protections kicked in. Within 16 years the whites got numerous enough and large enough to start attacking adult humans and doing it regularly.
When the humans are all dead and gone, or hiding in bunkers to escape the heat, the sharks will be there in thier millions, no matter how much we hunt them now
The whites were near extinction a few decades ago and the ecosystem was fine.
So that’s why we have so many rules and regulations for fishing , because of the depleted stocks of fish in WA…..everywhere there are now state parks etc …where the whales and the fish are coming back.
But lets look at the 2 attacks in WA ..spear fishing in deep water at Horseshoe Reef at Rottnest Island….and Michaelmas island……both divers were diving near seal colonies…yep the GWS’s favorite food…..and here you are again with quite a few mates……cull they are out of control….what about the duty of care when you dive spearing fish in the GWS’s dining room…no responsibility….or just angst /fear and then the kill em all…..LOL…..
There ain’t depleted fish stocks in WA.
A couple of nights ago there were over 75 large pink snapper caught off Busselton Jetty. Pink snapper is one of the protected species in the government’s ban.
I agree with the ban by the way but there ain’t depleted fish stocks over here.
so why is boat demersal fishing closed until spring 27 from Kalbarri to Augusta…….no Dhufish/Pink snapper/Baldchin Groper ( My favorite fish) / Red emperor etc……??
Its mainly due to dhufish numbers (over rated fish i reckon) and cowboys taking the piss, which the government should take the blame for.
The government decided to open the season over school holidays which coincidentally coincided with breeding season, the amount of fuckwits fishing around this time was ludicrous. Government caused it, humans took advantage…just the usual.
like I said, I agree with it, I prefer hezza myself.
done a lot of time up in the NW…..surfing fishing….some of the greed I saw from fisherman coming home with freezers full of Snapper /Red emperor/ Spanish Mackeral etc……1 fish per day is the law….I think now if you get caught you lose car/boat…..but the real question is…..do the 3 spear fisherman who were killed in the last few weeks, have duty of care to themselves/family /friends…..for spearfishing near seal colonies……??
Didn’t work very well in Reunion. Culled the big ones and whites and then bull sharks population went troppo.
Worth considering before knee jerk
they actually took all the reef sharks for Hong Kong Shark fin soup…and the bulls and tigers moved in ….anyone going for a surf trip to reunion soon,LOL?
They culled the Bulls, you can surf in Reunion now
Tell the Chinese that consuming Great White shark fin makes your dick bigger.
You’ll have their navy over here thinning numbers tomorrow.
Really?! You had to go and do that didn’t you. Now I want some chow mein.
How do we compare on the world stage stats wise?
Well above normal.
Welcome back!
Was down that way bit over a week ago. Had a nice surf at Lights beach in Denmark. Great waves, but yeah, always feels like a gamble going out down there. Condolences to the family, current shark situation is absolutely cooked
More than 10,000km of coastline. Hasn’t been any major attacks on surfers in Margs in over 10 years and it’s fucking crowded. NSW seems fucked though.
Whistling through the graveyard