not quite a shark, but whilst on a downwinder from cott to scabs me and my mate almost ran over two huge whales scared to **** out of me.
hi all,
my 2.5cents,
as a surfer, sharks get thought about, especially when you're paddling a river mouth at pre dawn or dusk. they are their for sure. take a mate reduce the odds...
but seriously[what's that?] , think about how many surfers,kitesurfers,divers,swimmers etc etc are in the water everyday all over the world at these times and how many attacks, you start realising that your chances are good.
i'm actually more worried about swimming in canals [bull sharks].
another tidbit, i read somewhere that bullsharks cause the most attacks and deaths overall. can't back that up cause i don't believe all doco's i see .
anyway, up here in nq we got crocs and stingers as well as tiger sharks! at least the waters warm...
About 3 years ago my father and I were out fishing can't remember what island we were at but there was a feeding frenzy going on with Birds above the bait fish and Mackerel we went over to try hook a Mackerel and there was about 5 sharks in there taking out the Mackerel one of them had a go at our outboard that was our call to get the **** out of there lol also hooked a shark and lost the lure in seconds before we left. The sharks were about 10 - 16ft and we were in a 8 ft tiny
I was surfing in Alexandria Bay on the sunshine coast about 15 years ago, just sitting out the back with a mate waiting on the next set. All of a sudden the water 10m to our right just erupted.
Four or five sharks were making a meal of a school of fish...right next to us! We just looked at each other, mate raised his eyebrows, turned about and started paddling. Set came in and we both got on the same wave and took it into shore.
They were not big sharks, biggest one was probably only 8ft at most but still...I didn't surf for a month after that and when I did get back in I spent the rest of the summer looking more at what was under my board than at the waves coming in.
I have one for you guys.
Thursday during the week (27 nov) I was out at Leighton messing around on m 12m and twinny. I headed way out the back on a few tacks getting further out each time. I glanced something out of the corner of my eye over the next wave and thought it was just a shadow being thrown by the sunlight on the water, or just a bit of debris in the water until I got a good look.........
As I rode up and over that next rolling wave I passed within about 10ft of a 5ft Hammerhead that I could see clear as day as it was just downwind of me. I thought I would have c**pped myself if I saw a noah, but I was strangely calm, but there was still definately a little extra motivation to stay on my board. I decided to continue my tack out for about another 150m offshore so I could pass well upwind of him and give him a pretty wide berth. Once I got back in I had convinced myself I wouldn't see him again so I headed back out on about the same tack as I was on the first time (headed down wind to my gear once I got into the beach). When I got to about the same distance offshore still headed out, I saw his fin about 30ft in front of me, but he turned and changed course before I got to him, diving so I couldn't see his fin. So again I headed further out and came in up wind of that spot. Deciding I didn't need to see my new-found mate any more I stayed pretty close into shore for the rest of the session. I had a little extra case of the fear for the rest of the session too when I did come off my board.
D
Third shark attack in two Days From SMH
www.smh.com.au/national/third-shark-attack-in-two-days-20090113-gdt9iw.html
A 24-year-old man was attacked by a shark on the NSW South Coast today.
It is the third shark attack off Australian beaches and the second in NSW in two days.
But NSW Department of Primary Industries shark biologist Vic Peddemor has dismissed as " complete and total rubbish" shark hunter Vic Hislop's claim that over-fishing is putting humans at greater risk of shark attack.
The man was snorkelling under the Windang Bridge on Lake Illawarra when what is believed to have been a bull shark bit him on the leg, about 10.50am.
He was swimming in a school of fish when he noticed a brown shadow behind him. His leg was then bitten, NSW Ambulance spokeswoman Fiona Kruit said.
"He's punched this brown shadow and it's let go," she said.
The man told paramedics he thought it was a bull shark.
Ms Kruit said a few bull sharks had been spotted in the area recently in search of bait fish.
"He has 40-odd puncture wounds to his calf but they haven't caused any muscle or tissue damage and he's got some abrasions to his right fist where he's punched the shark," she said.
The man swam to some nearby mud flats and flagged down a boat, Ms Kruit said.
After reaching land he was taken to Shellharbour Hospital and is in a stable condition.
The attack follows two other incidents over the weekend.
Jonathon Beard, 31, of Brisbane, was surfing with friends at Fingal Beach in northern NSW about 9.30am yesterday when he was bitten on the upper left thigh.
And Hannah Mighall, 13, was saved from a five-metre white pointer off north-east Tasmania when her cousin hit the shark and took her to shore on his surfboard.
Craig Roberts, manager of lifesaving at Surf Life Saving NSW, said bull sharks, great white sharks and tiger sharks were the three species associated with attacks on humans.
"Hammerheads and grey nurses are the most sighted but bull, tiger and great white sharks are the ones that attack," Mr Roberts said.
Jonathan Dart reports: A 52-year-old man has been stung in the foot by a stingray at a popular swimming spot in the Sutherland Shire this afternoon.
An ambulance spokeswoman said ambulance officers were called to Darook Park, on Nicholson Parade in Cronulla at 3.15pm.
"He's conscious, he's breathing and he's been taken out of the water," she said. "Officers are still treating him."
The area is popular with tourists and swimmers, with young children and family groups swimming at the same area.
13 yr Old Surfer Gets Bitten By Great White In Tassie
Fiona Reynolds
January 12, 2009 - 10:15AM
Page 1 of 2 | Single page
Syb Mundy, who saved his teenage cousin Hannah Mighall from the jaws of a shark, has shrugged off the tag of "hero".
Mr Mundy, 33, said Hannah, 13, was the one who deserved accolades for her bravery.
Mr Mundy was surfing with Hannah at Binalong Bay, near St Helens, in Tasmania's north-east, yesterday afternoon when a five-metre great white latched onto her leg.
The shark dragged her under the water twice before her cousin reached her on his surfboard and hit it on the head.
Mr Mundy was still in a state of disbelief when he spoke at the St Helens District Hospital in Tasmania, describing graphically how a casual surf at Binalong Bay almost ended in tragedy.
"We were just surfing and she was probably five or 10 metres out in front of me," he said.
"The next thing I know she screamed and disappeared under the water.
"She came up and was fighting the shark and hitting it and screaming: 'Help me, help me, help me.' We didn't see it coming.
"It dragged her around a bit and then she went down and under again. I was really worried. There was blood all in the water.
"It brought her up to the top again and I paddled over to her and tried to push it with the board and tried to hit it but I don't think it felt it really. It was a pretty big shark - a monster.
"It would have had two goes at her. She's lucky she didn't lose her leg.
"Hannah kept a really good head on her - kept it together.
"It grabbed her surfboard and dragged that under and she still had her leg rope on and it dragged her under again.
"The shark started circling us and coming up underneath us and when it did that we stopped and turned to face it so we could push it out of the way or poke it in the eye or something.
"She kept it together. There was blood everywhere and I didn't know whether it was going to try and bite her again.
"Then a wave came along and I said 'No matter how weak you are, try and hang on. This wave is going to save our lives.'
"And then we caught that wave to the beach, dragged her up on the beach and saw her leg had been mauled.
"It was pretty deep, in behind her knee was deep. You could almost see the bone. It was pretty horrible really.
"We were lucky the water was cold. It slowed her heart rate so when we pulled her out of the water the leg wasn't spurting blood everywhere.
"There happened to be a doctor and a nurse on the beach. We got a leg rope ... and wrapped it around and then wrapped some towels around to try and slow the blood down. We got a mobile phone and rang the ambulance.
"I just think it was meant to happen for a reason. I'm blessed.
"She was on the beach and whingeing about the pain. I said: 'You should be laughing that you're alive, don't whinge about the pain.'
"She's 13 years old. She made me very proud. She gave me the strength to stay there with her in the water - when I saw the way she was fighting it off.
"She was scared but she fought it off. She wasn't going to let it beat her.
"I was really scared but the way she fought that shark off. What are you going to do, leave your relative to die?
"I was stunned - I didn't know what to do. She was the one who pulled me through it. She's the hero. She's my hero.
"She's going to be all right, but she's going to have a big scar and a story to tell. She's a very, very, very brave girl.
"As for the shark, well they belong there, there's nothing you can do. It just did what it instinctively thought to do.
"That's life. Hannah would say the same. She actually wants to be a marine biologist and this hasn't changed her mind.
"When she came up I said: 'Try to get your leg rope off, try and get your leg rope off', and I was trying to look for the shark because it disappeared and all I could see was blood in the water.
"The leg rope is about six foot [1.8 metres] long, but then it broke and she popped up and I said: 'Jump on my back.'
"She jumped on my back and we started paddling to the beach and I said 'Don't let go, whatever you do don't let go.' "
Mr Mundy said hitting the shark on the head "was like hitting a brick wall - it was that dense".
"I didn't have a tape to measure it but it was huge. It was easily the length of a car.
"It was just a monster."
A wee 1.5m bull shark was caught yesterday in the canals around the broadwater (QLD) but the idiot that caught it was in the Bulletin today encouraging fisherman to all catch as many sharks as possible as it has stopped people from swimming. I felt like screaming, it's extremely wrong to do that.
By the way I am scared of sharks and it affects my kiting, surfing and scuba diving but it doesn't stop me going out there.
I'm sorry but he's a moron, when we enter the water we do it at our own peril as it is their territory and they don't purposely go out thinking mmmm I think I'll try a human today. We have overfished the ocean already and eventually it will come about that they have no option but to take whatever is out there human or not!
A navy diver who was attacked by a shark at Woolloomooloo Bay has lost his right hand above the wrist and may lose his right leg.
The family of Able Seaman Paul de Gelder issued a statement this afternoon saying that despite his injuries he was "in high spirits".
The 31-year-old clearance diver from HMAS Penguin at Balmoral surfaced in Woolloomooloo Bay on a diving exercise yesterday morning when the shark struck, biting his right hand and leg. He was swimming near Garden Island, acting the role of a terrorist, during an exercise called Kondari Trial, testing new technology to protect ports and ships.
He punched the shark to fight his way free.
He was pulled onto a safety boat, which was shadowing him and a police diver also taking part in the exercise, and given first-aid before being taken by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital.
His family said in the statement that they appreciated the medical services provided by the Navy.
They also thanked the surgeons and staff at St Vincent's Hospital and spoke of their gratitude to those people who helped him reach the hospital quickly.
Rear-Admiral Coates described him as a "fine young fellow" who spent eight years in the defence force, including time in the army. Able Seaman de Gelder has been living in Sydney for three years.
A defence spokesman said Sydney Harbour had been assessed as low-risk. It was the first recorded attack on a navy clearance diver and shark repellent equipment had not been used.
"Obviously we're going to have a look at this after this terrible incident, but certainly like most Sydneysiders, I and the rest of us regarded the chance of a shark attack in Sydney Harbour to be very low," Rear-Admiral Coates said.
The Commander of the Fleet said Able Seaman de Gelder was an "enthusiastic diver" who loved his work. He was "incredibly fit" and about travel to Britain on exchange for a few months, "so I'm sure he's going to be very disappointed".
Yesterday's attack did not surprise The Sun-Herald fishing writer, David Lockwood, who reported at the weekend how "packs of sharks" had been sighted in the harbour.
"Big hammerheads are eating kingfish around Garden Island, where a kayaker saw a solid whaler shark," he wrote.
Yesterday, he said bull sharks, hammerheads and bronze whalers entered the harbour in February and March "when the water is warmest", chasing fish.
Craig McGill, the operator of Fishabout Tours, described Woolloomooloo Bay as a shark "hot spot" and said he would not have swum there. "In my opinion it was a stupid thing to do. Hot spots include Balmoral, Clifton Gardens, Woolloomooloo and particularly the area from Rushcutters Bay, along the Garden Island foreshore and then down to Clark Island."
John Dengate, a spokesman for the Department of Environment and Climate Change, said the increasing number of sharks in the harbour was the down side of improved water quality.
"The water quality is many times better than it used to be," he said, adding that toxic chemicals from industry, sewage and storm runoff had all been reduced since the 1970s.
Taronga Zoo's curator of the Australian Shark Attack File, John West, said it was the 50th recorded "determined attack" by a shark in the harbour, Parramatta River or Georges River. While many had only involved sharks nudging small boats, there had been 28 reported deaths.
The last incident, in 2002, involved a shark hitting a kayak on the Parramatta River. The kayaker was uninjured.
with Arjun Ramachandran
Bondi swimming banned after 2nd shark attack
From ABC website 13/02/09:
Attacked: The surfer has serious injuries to his left arm. (Lateline)
* Video: Witness recounts Bondi shark attack (ABC News)
* Video: Swimmers warned to stay out of the Harbour (ABC News)
* Map: Bondi Beach 2026
Swimming has been banned at Sydney's Bondi Beach this morning after the city's second shark attack in two days.
A 33-year-old surfer was mauled at the southern end of Bondi Beach about 7:30pm (AEDT) yesterday, in the first shark attack at the beach in 80 years.
The Dover Heights man was taken to St Vincent's Hospital, where he is in a serious but stable condition in intensive care after undergoing emergency surgery for serious injuries to his left arm.
Sydney Police spokeswoman Joanne Elliott says the surfer did not see what bit him but felt a sharp pain in his arm.
"We understand he's called for help and a number of other surfers have come to his aid and got him to shore," she said.
"He was very lucky because we understand there were a number of off-duty doctors who were on the beach at the time.
"They were able to treat the man and stem the bleeding."
Witness Gabriel says people at Bondi Beach were in shock when the surfer was brought out of the water.
"He had the ankle strap from his surf board tied around his left arm," he said.
"He was conscious, his eyes were open, he was very pale and looked quite distressed."
The witness says the man was put in an ambulance within five minutes of being pulled from the water.
Fears for swimmers
The Mayor of Waverley Council, Sally Betts, says swimmers and surfers will not be allowed in the water at Bondi Beach this morning until it is declared safe.
"We'll be working with the police and the authorities to make sure the whole beach is searched," she said.
Councillor Betts says sharks have been known to occasionally breach the shark net at the beach but people should not fear swimming there.
"Unfortunately this happened last night, when our lifeguards were off duty and it was late at night, but our people will make sure the bay is quite safe before people get in the water," she said.
The shark attack is the second this week in Sydney, after Navy diver Paul de Gelder was attacked in Sydney Harbour during an international counter-terrorism exercise at Woolloomooloo Bay on Wednesday morning.
Doctors had to amputate the elite clearance diver's right hand after the attack and are considering amputating his right leg.
The attack prompted a warning from the New South Wales Government that it was too dangerous to swim in Sydney Harbour during shark season.
Harbour fishermen have said they are seeing sharks daily, as the water becomes cleaner and warmer. A ban on commercial fishing also means there is more food.
Experts say the riskiest times to be in the water are at dawn or dusk, when sharks are feeding, especially on overcast days like today.
Water Police are urging people to avoid surfing alone.
Races will go on
The attacks have sparked fears that sharks will threaten swimmers during upcoming events in Sydney.
But Olympic swimming gold medallist Murray Rose says people taking part in the inaugural Malabar to Little Bay swim this weekend should not be concerned.
"These ocean swims are so well patrolled," he said.
"We have a huge safety net around ours, like most of them do, with motorised craft, IRBs, and jet skis and board riders ... I don't think you could ever be safer."
Next month's Sydney Harbour Swim Classic event will also go ahead despite the attacks.
Organisers have reassured competitors there will be plenty of divers to look out for sharks.
Landing a Shark at Bondi - "Bondi Surfer, March, 1958"
A piercing scream and the woman disappeared beneath the thrashing water. "She then seemed suddenly to rush out to a distance of several yards as if the shark had taken her legs from under her and pulled her out.
The attack took place at Bronte Beach in the twilight hours of Wednesday, February 13, 1924. Miss Nita Derritt, a 30 year old saleswoman from Hurlstone Park "was badly mutilated by a 10 ft monster in five to six feet of water". Bronte lifesavers, Eric Bennett and Jas Brown, together with Constable C.E. Rushbrooke, ran bravely into the water and brought her to shore. "The left leg had been taken off from below the knee and the right foot was torn away from the ankle, hanging only by a thread." Miss Derrett miraculously survived but had both legs amputated.
"Shark!" No other cry frightens beachgoers more. The very word stirs emotions and conjures up primeval fears of unseen horrors.
Since the advent of shark meshing off Sydney beaches no death has occurred from shark attack since 1937. Sharks caught in the nets include the grey nurse, hammerheads, tigers, whalers, pointers, seven-gilled, blacktip and Port Jackson.
Bondi had two grim fatal attacks within a month of each other in 1929 Colin Stewart, 14, died after being savaged on January 12, in waist deep water on a sandbar 40 yards off the beach, and John Gibson, 39, was taken by "one of the monsters that cruise off Bondi", on February 8.
A year earlier saw a happier outcome. Max Steele, 19, a Bondi lifesaver, was chasing big waves on the afternoon of April 14, 1928. It was dull and cloudy and a large sea was running when the shark grabbed him by the leg, pulling him several metres under water. "The first thing I knew of the attack was when I saw blood in the swirling water", the victim later recalled. He courageously fought and punched the shark until it released him. The shark had stripped the flesh from his leg but he managed to swim 200 metres back to the shore where he collapsed. Bondi lifesavers Tom Meagher and Allen Rennix, with beach inspector, Stan McDonald, helped pull him onto the beach. Taken to hospital, Max Steele had his leg amputated, but eight days later he was able to sit in his father's car and watch a surf carnival. Steel(e) indeed!
Published by Waverley Library from sources in the Local History Collection.
IN the same week men were attacked by sharks in Woolloomooloo and Bondi Beach, the state Government banned NSW fishermen from catching them.
Despite overwhelming evidence numbers are at record levels, The Sunday Telegraph can reveal the state's 25 shark hunters last week received a letter from the NSW Department of Primary Industries declaring the ban.
The letter stated the restriction was being imposed because the State's annual shark quota had already been reached.
Despite a frightening summer of shark attacks and sightings up and down the NSW coast, fishermen will now be prohibited from taking sharks until July 1.
Vote: Do Sydney beaches need better shark warning signs?
In the past week, navy diver Able Seaman Paul de Gelder, 31, was mauled by a shark at Woolloomooloo at 7am on Wednesday and lost a hand, while Glen Orgias, 33, was attacked at Bondi on Thursday at 8pm.
Both men were continuing their recovery from surgery at St Vincent's Hospital yesterday. Mr Orgias's right hand has been reattached after 10 hours of surgery.
Under new fishing restrictions imposed last year, NSW fisherman are limited to catching just 160 tonnes of shark a year. In Queensland, fishermen are allowed to take 3000 tonnes.
North Coast fisherman Bill Litchfield described the ban as ludicrous given the increasing numbers of sharks being sighted.
"We consistently get around 100 a night; that's an average catch. So how many of the buggers are out there?'' he said.
"The largest we've caught was a 15-foot (4.6m) tiger shark just 200 yards (183m) from Evans Head Surf Club. My skipper took his kids out of nippers the next day."
Mr Litchfield said he had written numerous letters to State Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald requesting the quota be reviewed.
Mr Macdonald said the shark quotas affected species that were not man-eaters - a claim disputed by fishermen who said it protected bull sharks, which are thought to be were responsible for last week's attacks.
The ban also protects dangerous tiger sharks, bronze whalers, hammerheads and black tips.
Mr Macdonald said:
"The quotas are based on sound scientific advice. Everyone needs to remember there are no 100 per cent guarantees when swimming in the ocean - sharks are a natural part of the ocean environment.''
NSW fishermen also blame a 1995 restriction on salmon beach-hauling for booming shark numbers close to the coast.
"The salmon swim close to shore and bring in the sharks,'' Mr Litchfield said.
"I've seen white pointers chasing them at surfing beaches at Newcastle. It is only time before a surfer gets taken there - it is going to happen.''
Bondi fisherman Udo Edlinger also blamed a rise in salmon numbers for a spike in shark sightings.
"I wouldn't be swimming around Sydney during dawn or dusk at the moment,'' he said.
Fishing websites and live angling blogs are full of shark sightings, close encounters and stories of the day's catch.
Doonside fisherman Peter Brennan said he didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he saw a 4m shark steal the kingfish right off his line on Monday at Clifton Gardens, near Mosman.
Other sightings include Roseville Marina, Woolloomooloo Wharf and Saunders Wharf at Darling Harbour.
Professional Sydney fisherman and guide Craig McGill said he's never seen as much shark activity in the harbour in his 25 years of fishing.
He said he had noticed a gradual increase in shark numbers over the past five years.
"I certainly wouldn't be swimming anywhere in Sydney Harbour (now) ... and I wouldn't be going to Balmoral,'' he said.
Mr McGill identified other hotspots as Chowder Bay, Clontarf and Rushcutters Bay.
Opposition industry spokesman Duncan Gay called for the quota cap to be lifted immediately.
"This is serious ... and needs a Minister who is engaged with his portfolio to make sure our waters are safe as possible.''
Shark-hunting can be a lucrative industry, with fisherman earning up to $600 per kill.
The jaws go to WA where they are sold as souvenirs, heads to The Philippines, fins and tails to Asia, spinal cords to the cosmetic industry and the meat to fish and chip shops around Australia.
I am totally way more paraniod in the Swan river than the ocean, everytime I go wakeboarding its all i think about.... BULL SHARKS!! munch munch....
rather mission the the good ole fresh water dam 
**** new i shouldnt have read all this, just have to make sure there is someone further out than me. 
,
did anyone see the march kbm article on the sunshine coast? I dont know if this has already been pointed out but on the first page of the article at cotten tree [i think] at sunny coast there is a good size shark about 150m swiming in the same direction as the kitesurfer at the bottom of the page. comments????
is it real or fake????
Maby come to North Queensland in the Summer months where the food chain goe's something like this. Tiger Shark, Salt Water Crocodile, Box Jelly fish and then Kite Surfer. And I don't know of a single kiter that has received an injury from any of them to date.
Keep in mind if you loose your balance and fall you are no longer a kiter. And plenty of swimmers have dissapeared in these parts.
Joking!!!
Quick browse thru this thread & didn't see these pic's that where doing the rounds in Brisbane a year or so ago.
Bully caught in the Brisbane River the plates and the oil refinery in the back ground show that. No idea where they're taking it or why they rented a trailer when they've got two utes!?
A 4.8M great white was photographed 1.5k off bunbury by some locals out fishing this week !!http://www.bunburymail.com.au/news/local/news/general/great-white-shocks-local-fisherman/1531122.aspx
Hey Guys how many kiters have been attacked by sharks in Australia so far?
Well I'm coming over anyways, whether I die from a shark attack or from the cold water here in Germany, doesn't matter that much, hey?
so where are the statistics? one, two none?
Anja
Hi Anja,
I don't think there have been any fatal attacks on kitesurfers.. I only know of two people around Brissy that have been nibbled. One was apparently standing in the water giving instruction a few years back.
Chris.
Oh ok I'm relieved to hear that especially because I want to work as an instructor
I should think about teaching in a boat!
But if the sharkie only "nibbles" me that's alright I guess...
