Shark Stories
"A shark attacked the catamaran, and in the chaos, she was pulled into the water, suffering catastrophic injuries, including the loss of a leg"
https://euroweeklynews.com/2024/09/18/german-woman-loses-leg-and-dies-in...
Sth Coast a Tagged Juvi in the Shallows
That’s bloody close to shore udo.
Mate of mine was flying the other day, saw what he reckons was a 4-5m GW swimming through a baitball just south of Jervis Bay / Caves beach. He said he thought it was a whale at first until he got a closer look.
Interesting Observation
Not exactly a shark, which makes it even more bizarre:
https://beachgrit.com/2024/10/glamorous-italian-surfer-giulia-manfrini-d...
thebeard wrote:Not exactly a shark, which makes it even more bizarre:
https://beachgrit.com/2024/10/glamorous-italian-surfer-giulia-manfrini-d...
Nasty. Steve Irwin level unlucky.
Longtom (needlefish) injuries are more common than you'd think.
They're like stray arrows when they leap from the water, usually to escape a predator.
I had a close call once on the Goldy, one flew by inches from my face.
Indo lad cops one in the neck.. the photo is pretty nasty.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7913863/Indonesian-boy-stabbed-...
I do know a kayak fisho who copped one in the thigh.
This vid of a kayaker demonstrates how it can happen and how hard the bastards can hit.
This bloke might be worth following.
A Mate just got back from taking his family to the Playgrounds in the Ments .
He met a nice young surfer at EBay's .
He heard a few days later , a Swordfish had run though her and killed her .
When it's your time to Go , you go .
scroll 2/3/4 posts up this page @PopD, there's a bit about her
(@Supa: https://www.swellnet.com/news/talking-heads/2024/08/15/ronnie-vickery-in...)
basesix wrote:scroll 2/3/4 posts up this page @PopD, there's a bit about her
(@Supa: https://www.swellnet.com/news/talking-heads/2024/08/15/ronnie-vickery-in...)
Thanks B6 for that link , I missed that interview .
yeh, noticed your absence in the comments @Supa.. probably busy planning your Rote trip!
https://m.
Don’t know if it nearly bit divers head off , guy remained pretty calm , maybe the shark had its mouth open expecting them to give him a feed ?
That is a beast
After reading the comments in the instagram post it does appear the shark was expecting a fish head to be popped into its mouth.
Wow, makes you want to book a season pass at the wavepool :-)
The poor fella on his honeymoon at Cactus all those years ago, happened the year before I was there with a mate for a month or so. It was a harrowing story to hear around the campfire, and it was surreal to see the location firsthand.
I recall the descriptions of the "unreal size, like a submarine, nearly beached itself, and like watching a movie". Then his efforts to get to his board and final moments, a silent, moving tombstone of the board as he was dragged out to sea. All the while being watched by the Mrs.....So heavy.
Watched Sharkbait do the paddle over to Castles from Caves a couple of times, which made no sense, but hey, it was compelling viewing.
We surfed witzigs and backdoor a few times, pretty pumping, frothing hard as we paddled across from one to the other, when on one wave a grey and white shape zipped past as I was on a wave...turned out to be a seal, but that was enough and we called it a day.
As we wondered back up the cliff, a couple of local fellas were on the cliff, I asked why didn't you guys get out there, it's pumping?
We were waiting to see you get eaten :-) fair dinkum
Not sure how it is now, but that part of the world was an alternate universe, so raw and gnarly, in and out of the water...
daltz wrote:Wow, makes you want to book a season pass at the wavepool :-)
The poor fella on his honeymoon at Cactus all those years ago, happened the year before I was there with a mate for a month or so. It was a harrowing story to hear around the campfire, and it was surreal to see the location firsthand.
I recall the descriptions of the "unreal size, like a submarine, nearly beached itself, and like watching a movie". Then his efforts to get to his board and final moments, a silent, moving tombstone of the board as he was dragged out to sea. All the while being watched by the Mrs.....So heavy.
Watched Sharkbait do the paddle over to Castles from Caves a couple of times, which made no sense, but hey, it was compelling viewing.
We surfed witzigs and backdoor a few times, pretty pumping, frothing hard as we paddled across from one to the other, when on one wave a grey and white shape zipped past as I was on a wave...turned out to be a seal, but that was enough and we called it a day.
As we wondered back up the cliff, a couple of local fellas were on the cliff, I asked why didn't you guys get out there, it's pumping?
We were waiting to see you get eaten :-) fair dinkumNot sure how it is now, but that part of the world was an alternate universe, so raw and gnarly, in and out of the water...
Daltz. I was there in January earlier this year, leaving Boxing Day soon for a three week stint.
What i saw in January was there’s now 4 separate notes, signs, plaques etc. mentioning and commemorating those who have lost their lives.
I’ve been going since 1984, 40 years coming up soon, I love the quiet and everything about the place.
From memory, Sharkbait had actually been bitten twice, then died in a car crash I think on the road into camp. Others may need to qualify that.
Only at Witzigs do I feel the need to look around now and then, but really, if you are ‘packing donuts’, best not go. It’s all fun.AW
You are correct AW that's what happened to Sharky - died in a car crash on the road back to camp after a session at the pub is my understanding. And the poor fellas name was Cameron Bayes - 24yrs ago now September just gone. Besides flushing toilets, fences, couple new seats and a new overflow area the joint hasn't changed much at all in the 30yrs I've been going. It's still like the wild west in and out of the water. For me Backdoor and Cunns are the spookiest - Backdoor cause the water is almost black its so deep and Ive seen a few sharks when fishing from that cliff!
maddogmorley wrote:You are correct AW that's what happened to Sharky - died in a car crash on the road back to camp after a session at the pub is my understanding. And the poor fellas name was Cameron Bayes - 24yrs ago now September just gone. Besides flushing toilets, fences, couple new seats and a new overflow area the joint hasn't changed much at all in the 30yrs I've been going. It's still like the wild west in and out of the water. For me Backdoor and Cunns are the spookiest - Backdoor cause the water is almost black its so deep and Ive seen a few sharks when fishing from that cliff!
Maddogmorley. Good stuff mate.
In 2000 , hit the road for 7 weeks, stopped there to show the newly wed.
I as the only one surfing Cunns on my own for three days.
I get out of the water one morning, I find the bride chatting to a windsurfer who looked like he was constantly getting his rig set up each afternoon, but never ventured out.
Eating dinner that night, she said the guy from Adelaide (windsurfer) admitted to her when she asked him why he hadn’t got wet yet, he replied, I’m too scared.
Each to their own I suppose , he did eventually go out through Castles and ended up way out to sea, not his intention I’m sure. AW
maddogmorley wrote:You are correct AW that's what happened to Sharky - died in a car crash on the road back to camp after a session at the pub is my understanding. And the poor fellas name was Cameron Bayes - 24yrs ago now September just gone. Besides flushing toilets, fences, couple new seats and a new overflow area the joint hasn't changed much at all in the 30yrs I've been going. It's still like the wild west in and out of the water. For me Backdoor and Cunns are the spookiest - Backdoor cause the water is almost black its so deep and Ive seen a few sharks when fishing from that cliff!
Maddogmorley. Good stuff mate.
In 2000 , hit the road for 7 weeks, stopped there to show the newly wed.
I as the only one surfing Cunns on my own for three days.
I get out of the water one morning, I find the bride chatting to a windsurfer who looked like he was constantly getting his rig set up each afternoon, but never ventured out.
Eating dinner that night, she said the guy from Adelaide (windsurfer) admitted to her when she asked him why he hadn’t got wet yet, he replied, I’m too scared.
Each to their own I suppose , he did eventually go out through Castles and ended up way out to sea, not his intention I’m sure. AW
Oh My Stars
Not likely anyone will C me Pop Up at Cactus , I don't need 2 be told twice the place is for maniac Russel's only .
Way too Pointy for me and that passage 2 Backdoor , next 2 the Cunn , sounds way 2 Dark and Scary .
I would rather surf and drop in On a 20ft Salty .
At least the water is warm .
AW , the Ex must have loved the place and did she run off to Windsurf ?
Pop Down wrote:Oh My Stars
Not likely anyone will C me Pop Up at Cactus , I don't need 2 be told twice the place is for maniac Russel's only .
Way too Pointy for me and that passage 2 Backdoor , next 2 the Cunn , sounds way 2 Dark and Scary .
I would rather surf and drop in On a 20ft Salty .
At least the water is warm .
AW , the Ex must have loved the place and did she run off to Windsurf ?
PopDown. Hi mate.
You’re very clever, I can read your 50 shades of grey theme in amongst those few lines. Converse to your initial thoughts about warm weather, which it normally is compared to Victoria, but this January gone, there were two areas in Oz that had cold water upwellings at the same time, top of the bight and just below Port Headland.
You’d love the joint, the ecology is great, the weather is interchangeable on a daily basis, good vibe in the water.
The day we packed up, at 10am it was as 45c, so hot the tent poles burnt your hand.
She loved it also, saw a Western Brown Snake and many other reptiles. Skies are amazing and the wind can come from any bloody direction, you definitely know you’re alive. AW
You are an amazing person AW and very clever .
Your knowledge of Gardens , if Off the Charts and such Interesting reading , 4 a City Slicker that has been 2 the Botanical Garden up the road .
I saw a village , on the telly , in Europe that use Old Flowers , 2 decorate their homes , beautiful custom !
It's a Moorish Tradition apparently . The town started with M , I think .
Guessing a Powerful Owl will know .
I did think Cactus would be cold water .
Old Crocs and old Croc's like me , like really Warm water :) !
Pop Down wrote:You are an amazing person AW and very clever .
Your knowledge of Gardens , if Off the Charts and such Interesting reading , 4 a City Slicker that has been 2 the Botanical Garden up the road .
I saw a village , on the telly , in Europe that use Old Flowers , 2 decorate their homes , beautiful custom !
It's a Moorish Tradition apparently . The town started with M , I think .
Guessing a Powerful Owl will know .
I did think Cactus would be cold water .
Old Crocs and old Croc's like me , like really Warm water :) !
PopDown. Hi reptilian oil magnate, stockbroker , Crockerfella.
If the town has been influenced my the Moors, well it’s going to be down in that SW corner of Spain and in that area of the Gibraltar Strait of the Alboran Sea, basically entrance to the Mediterranean basin.
Great plant life exists there. I’m guessing Malaga.
Generally the water at Cactus is very nice and mild. The stronger the wind is from the N-NE, the colder the water.
That wind sets up Ekman Transport, the wind blowing across the surface of the water starts a convective cycle bringing cold water up from below and off the cycle goes.
As you’d know, water currents globally dictate climate, plant and animal geographic distribution. Obviously, it’s all driven by the sun, the sun makes the waves we surf. AW
AlfredWallace wrote:daltz wrote:Wow, makes you want to book a season pass at the wavepool :-)
The poor fella on his honeymoon at Cactus all those years ago, happened the year before I was there with a mate for a month or so. It was a harrowing story to hear around the campfire, and it was surreal to see the location firsthand.
I recall the descriptions of the "unreal size, like a submarine, nearly beached itself, and like watching a movie". Then his efforts to get to his board and final moments, a silent, moving tombstone of the board as he was dragged out to sea. All the while being watched by the Mrs.....So heavy.
Watched Sharkbait do the paddle over to Castles from Caves a couple of times, which made no sense, but hey, it was compelling viewing.
We surfed witzigs and backdoor a few times, pretty pumping, frothing hard as we paddled across from one to the other, when on one wave a grey and white shape zipped past as I was on a wave...turned out to be a seal, but that was enough and we called it a day.
As we wondered back up the cliff, a couple of local fellas were on the cliff, I asked why didn't you guys get out there, it's pumping?
We were waiting to see you get eaten :-) fair dinkumNot sure how it is now, but that part of the world was an alternate universe, so raw and gnarly, in and out of the water...
Daltz. I was there in January earlier this year, leaving Boxing Day soon for a three week stint.
What i saw in January was there’s now 4 separate notes, signs, plaques etc. mentioning and commemorating those who have lost their lives.I’ve been going since 1984, 40 years coming up soon, I love the quiet and everything about the place.
From memory, Sharkbait had actually been bitten twice, then died in a car crash I think on the road into camp. Others may need to qualify that.Only at Witzigs do I feel the need to look around now and then, but really, if you are ‘packing donuts’, best not go. It’s all fun.AW
Wow, almost a local AW :-)
The plaque on the wharf on the east side was sad to see, a kid swimming out to his dads boat from memory, got taken.
I remember watching that right to the west, from caves a few times, it looked so hollow, but jeezuz....it looked spooky. Is it called Supertubes
If the sharks don’t get ya the mice will . Smiley crashed out blind drunk next to our camp fire in the late 70s , we threw a blanket over him and left him to it. In the morning the edges of his ears , along his cheek bone and nostrils had been nibbled away by mice . Middle of the day if you put a hot cup of coffee on the ground they would dive in , same with a stubbie of beer . We watched supertubes one day with Paul Gravelle & Greg Woods out at 8-10 + , looked insane through binoculars.
daltz wrote:AlfredWallace wrote:daltz wrote:Wow, makes you want to book a season pass at the wavepool :-)
The poor fella on his honeymoon at Cactus all those years ago, happened the year before I was there with a mate for a month or so. It was a harrowing story to hear around the campfire, and it was surreal to see the location firsthand.
I recall the descriptions of the "unreal size, like a submarine, nearly beached itself, and like watching a movie". Then his efforts to get to his board and final moments, a silent, moving tombstone of the board as he was dragged out to sea. All the while being watched by the Mrs.....So heavy.
Watched Sharkbait do the paddle over to Castles from Caves a couple of times, which made no sense, but hey, it was compelling viewing.
We surfed witzigs and backdoor a few times, pretty pumping, frothing hard as we paddled across from one to the other, when on one wave a grey and white shape zipped past as I was on a wave...turned out to be a seal, but that was enough and we called it a day.
As we wondered back up the cliff, a couple of local fellas were on the cliff, I asked why didn't you guys get out there, it's pumping?
We were waiting to see you get eaten :-) fair dinkumNot sure how it is now, but that part of the world was an alternate universe, so raw and gnarly, in and out of the water...
Daltz. I was there in January earlier this year, leaving Boxing Day soon for a three week stint.
What i saw in January was there’s now 4 separate notes, signs, plaques etc. mentioning and commemorating those who have lost their lives.I’ve been going since 1984, 40 years coming up soon, I love the quiet and everything about the place.
From memory, Sharkbait had actually been bitten twice, then died in a car crash I think on the road into camp. Others may need to qualify that.Only at Witzigs do I feel the need to look around now and then, but really, if you are ‘packing donuts’, best not go. It’s all fun.AW
Wow, almost a local AW :-)
The plaque on the wharf on the east side was sad to see, a kid swimming out to his dads boat from memory, got taken.
I remember watching that right to the west, from caves a few times, it looked so hollow, but jeezuz....it looked spooky. Is it called Supertubes
Daltz. Hi mate. I know Supertubes well, very clear white foamy water, I know what you mean.
The commemorative plaque on that granite rock at the harbour/pier area was a boy named Wade. He was a local from Penong.
In Summer a lot of locals take a vehicle set up and or caravan down there and reverse up against the cliff overhang and reside there to escape the heat back in town.
The shark netting you see in the semi circle arrangement was erected after that incident, from memory, he was taken swimming out to his father’s boat, very sad indeed.
If any locals are reading this, correct me if I’m wrong please. But I think that’s what happened. AW
Supafreak wrote:If the sharks don’t get ya the mice will . Smiley crashed out blind drunk next to our camp fire in the late 70s , we threw a blanket over him and left him to it. In the morning the edges of his ears , along his cheek bone and nostrils had been nibbled away by mice . Middle of the day if you put a hot cup of coffee on the ground they would dive in , same with a stubbie of beer . We watched supertubes one day with Paul Gravelle & Greg Woods out at 8-10 + , looked insane through binoculars.
Supafreak. Hi mate. How’s things ?
Me and a few lads en route back to Victoria from WA late 1984, called back into Cactus to the most incredible mice plague I’ve ever seen in my life.
You could kick 100 at a time, they ate everything, gnawed through plastic containers to eat cereal, chewed electrical wiring under the bonnet because early plastics contained some kind of plant oil.
Same visit, our two cars pull up, check surf first, before setting up, $5 per night then, we are all in one car, the HJ Wagon, smoking bungers when a tall cop knocks on the drivers window, immediately down with a rear one, asks us how we are, asked did we have guns, totally shit faced, don’t know how we got away with it.
We did have a shot gun under the front seat.
He said, have fun, no trouble, no guns and take ya rubbish. Good old days.
I’ve also been there for an out of this world fly situation, where you permanently had a beard and a ring around your mouth type of stuff. Unbearable.
January gone, was such a great vibe, many local surfers around my age, right on the doorstep of 60, it was great to see and meet their kids , say in their 30’s most female, on tiny days they were all out on their longboards , friendly as.
Give good vibes get good vibes.
For me Supa, I’ve always got binoculars. Good stuff. AW
@AW , I can remember the silo on the corner where the dirt road meets the highway , the mice were so thick and this was the middle of the day , you could spin the wheels and do snakey’s through the gears on the old 3 speed column shift . Locust plagues were also pretty insane around yorkes .
Don't forget the march flies.
I remember the plaque for the young fella who got taken.
Apparently, he was swimming out to a fishing boat to get some crays.
The crew of the boat caught and killed the culprit.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shipard-14
Supafreak wrote:@AW , I can remember the silo on the corner where the dirt road meets the highway , the mice were so thick and this was the middle of the day , you could spin the wheels and do snakey’s through the gears on the old 3 speed column shift . Locust plagues were also pretty insane around yorkes .
Supafreak. Spring 2006, two car loads of us, my then wife the only female, other guys wife’s had been previously and said thanks but no thanks, been there done that.
Head to Cactus in Spring , late September, locusts heavy but not like you stated.
Got great waves, headed in to the pub to watch the AFL Grand Final, West Coast Eagles v Sydney . My wife drove, five blokes wasted and blotto.
What I vividly remember was that there was a heap of surfers at the pub with little toddlers and kids and a heap of young aboriginal kids all playing together under the TV screen . They all were just kids playing and having a ball, it was great to see, no hissy fits or meltdowns, they had chips, lollies, soft drinks , streamers, all the items you need so they’ll crash later.
All the aborigines were barracking for West Coast because their team had a lot of very good indigenous players.
Was a great day in a great place.
What I always remember about visiting out of the way places, you don’t yearn for anything but where you are at present, sometimes having very little means having the lot, really. AW
tubeshooter wrote:Don't forget the march flies.
I remember the plaque for the young fella who got taken.
Apparently, he was swimming out to a fishing boat to get some crays.
The crew of the boat caught and killed the culprit.
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Shipard-14
Tubeshooter. Hi pal.
Thanks, that reinforces what we’ve all been thinking. Cheers. AW
The farking mice. Had a major mousaccre in my van i was camping out in for a month on a point just E of Ceduna. Had them running through the roof lining at night and i'd lay there with my atlas of Australia, watch the little feet in the lining and whammo!! Squash them, then had to cut a hole in the lining and drag them out one by one. This went on all night for days on end, literally drove me mad.
Phil Horley i think was the name of Sharkbait.
Wade Shippard i think was the name of the young fella.
Sitting in the Cactus dunes stoned off our heads as groms and watching a huge pointer come into the bay between Caves and Castles on a glassy clean afternoon. Was like watching this giant black lord of the ocean cruising in full of presence with a nice little bow wave.
Wild coast out there.
Great part of the world.
Southernraw. Hi mate.
Nice little story.
Yep, correct, us mere humans pale into insignificance out in those regions, we are miniscule to the space around us.
But hey, it’s a totally different world to where most of us live.
Good to get out and become uncomfortable sometimes. Good for the soul, tests ya mettle. AW
Yeah i love it AW.
Strong connection to that whole coast.
Pure.
Cheers mate.
I would be Cactus at Cactus , 4 sure .
The ON Land Pests would be driving me insane and driving me out into Jaws , Dark Passage heaven , a No win situation .
F Me , the Waves must be Unreal Out There .
Or , the Locals are B/S'ing and want 2 keep the waves 2 themselves , as it sounds TOO WILD .
At least the water IS warm and beer is cold .
Pop Down wrote:I would be Cactus at Cactus , 4 sure .
The ON Land Pests would be driving me insane and driving me out into Jaws , Dark Passage heaven , a No win situation .
F Me , the Waves must be Unreal Out There .
Or , the Locals are B/S'ing and want 2 keep the waves 2 themselves , as it sounds TOO WILD .
At least the water IS warm and beer is cold .
PopDown. You’d love it. Fishing rod, a cold can in ya hand. Fish on the hook, albeit, probably an Australian Salmon, bit dryish, makes good Salmon panties.
We’ve got five blokes going, three surfers, two ex surfers now drinkers and choofers , three solar set ups running the show, one fridge for food, a smaller fridge will be switched to freezer mode for bait and frozen meats and I just bought a fridge that holds 100 cans. Totally set up. 400 litres of pure rainwater from my tanks.
Got itchy feet already. December 27th, we’re off. Yew. AW
Just in time for the sea breeze AW.
My wife has some salmon[coloured] panties.
mattlock wrote:Just in time for the sea breeze AW.
My wife has some salmon[coloured] panties.
Mattlock. Hi mate. In the arvo sure, most mornings were offshore early this year.
I deliberately put that in. A pub we use to frequent had a chalk board menu for years.
For some reason Salmon Patties were always on the menu.
I lost count of how many times someone ( a bloke obviously) would scrub out a ‘t’ and replace it with an ‘n’.
Blokes, we never grow up., we just grow old. AW
Gosh AW ,
You have given me an itch but it hasn't reached my feet , yet .
Not sure where it is , atm ?
Guessing U have some Big Pop Up Rockets , that will Go Off , especially NYE and Light UP , the Sky 2 , with 400 litres of Rainwater to put out unwanted fires .
Sounds a Blast and Salmon Panties sound tasty !
With a Tent bigger than the Cirque du Soleil and U as the Ring Master , what could go wrong ?
Guessing the Police will be Matt and not Lock U Up .
Pop Down wrote:Gosh AW ,
You have given me an itch but it hasn't reached my feet , yet .
Not sure where it is , atm ?
Guessing U have some Big Pop Up Rockets , that will Go Off , especially NYE and Light UP , the Sky 2 , with 400 litres of Rainwater to put out unwanted fires .
Sounds a Blast and Salmon Panties sound tasty !
With a Tent bigger than the Cirque du Soleil and U as the Ring Master , what could go wrong ?
Guessing the Police will be Matt and not Lock U Up .
Very , very clever, we are of the same TV era, old Matlock Police, wow, feels like an eternity ago.
I’ve just moved you into P2 on the grid behind Basesix as Swellnet’s superb wordsmiths, we’ve been going from dawn to dusk, you can tell we don’t have any lady friends.
Im surfing in the morning thankfully, all those thoughts of salmon panties have got me feeling all briny and salty. . Catch ya. AW
"mmmm, salmon panties..." Homer Simpson
Not into edible undies but if I was, salmon would be my last choice.
Everyone I've spoken to lately is heading to Rio straight after Xmas, it could be busier than Mooses birthday bash. Hope no fights break out over camp sites like the other year.
tubeshooter wrote:"mmmm, salmon panties..." Homer Simpson
Not into edible undies but if I was, salmon would be my last choice.
hahaha!!
*Who’s the Guy's Name that Invented the Passion Pop from the Goldcoast*
- a wee story:
I remember going fishing with Pop. Before he was too old for anything but the pier. We used to go to long beach, past the outlet. Big rod in a holder, small rod in the hand. We’d stay till dusk, unless he decided to stay into the night. Staying into the night meant we’d caught something, and he’d fire up the little fish smoker. He always made things too salty, but he always had a big container of weak lemon cordial in the back of the ute, too.
I remember one night I wandered off in the dark. Along the beach. The moon was slight, there were clouds, and I felt alone. I knew Pop was no more than a few hundred feet away.
An hour went by, nothing. The more that time goes by, in the cold of night, the more you feel keen to the grit of the sand.
But then, I got big bites.. BIG bites.. I started pulling in salmon, one after the other.. baiting up, I was worried I was taking too long, the pilchards were soft, but the school stayed nearby.. I caught seven or eight.
The clouds cleared, and I marched up the beach, dragging the salmon behind me.. Pop watched me approach. ‘Look’ I said, ‘got some’. I stood there smiling.
Pop looked out to the horizon. ‘Bleed ‘em?’, he asked.
‘Umm.. nup..’ I answered, half remembering some distant instruction.
‘Hmm. Good for nothing but panties’, Pop said.
‘What... panties..?’ I asked confusedly…
Pop let out a big belly laugh. It was the last time I heard him do that. He sat me down, and looked at my fish, and said ‘yeh, mate, salmon panties’.
I looked silently at him, enjoying the wrinkle lines on his face.
‘Before the crash of 2029, there was a thing I’d ‘go on’ called swellnet, and we shared stories. I’ll tell you a few..'
Fuck, that was a great night, the stories, it's a great memory.. the joy in the old man eclipsed my disappointment. I know to bleed fish now, haha.
A few interesting stories on shark attacks and near misses on the Shark Shield report so I thought I would start this thread. Don't want to trivialize the subject as people have had their lives taken or changed forever by what can happen. I thought it might serve as an educational purpose by hearing others experiences so we may all learn from them and hopefully avoid it happening to us.
One of them was a mate of mine named Hazey.
He had been surfing at Castles, a notoriously sharky wave in the bay at Cactus.
Several hundred metres offshore the wave breaks before reforming into Inside Castles making a long left with several sections. The wave has been the scene of several attacks and near misses over the years including the local known as "Sharkbait" who had been attacked more than once.
Gerry Lopez is another who came very close to being attacked out there and vowed to never surf Cactus again after his near miss.
Well Hazey was surfing out the back with another bloke named Steve when out of the blue he was launched into the air still on his board by a huge force from below.
A shark had rammed him with a direct hit straight up into the air! In a moment it was gone but soon returned to the stunned Hazey and started biting him and his board. Hazey instinctively put his arms out to protect himself but both his arms ended up in its mouth. As the jaws closed down his arms could have easily been severed, but several teeth on the sharks lower jaw had become dislodged and imbedded in the board leaving his upper arms with massive injuries, but the vital inner arms where major arteries run were not majorly damaged. This probably saved his life.
By this time Steve had reacted and in a rush of adrenalin and pure ballsy courage he threw himself onto the sharks back and started gouging at the sharks eyeballs, eventually feeling one pop and the shark departed.
Steve got the two surfboards together and got himself and Hazey on and started the long paddle to shore.
Then they were both thrown into the air as the shark rammed them a third time before disappearing again. They continued to make their way closer to shore and the shark nudged them again. Steve told me he thought he really must of pissed it off when he popped its eye.
Finally they we're just a metre from shore when the shark made its fifth and final appearance. It beelined towards them and the shore while they stood in waist deep water with their boards. The sharks mouth was just rapidly opening and closing like one of those wind up sets of false teeth. The boys separated and put their hands on either side of it's body and held it on a 90 degree angle to the beach as they made the final steps to the safety of the sand.
Hazey was rushed to Ceduna hospital and then flown to Adelaide for micro surgery on his shredded arms.
Steve ended up receiving a bravery award and they both sold their story to 60 minutes and made $50,000 each out of it!
It was quite a story!