Diver Killed by Sharks in South Australia

Stu Nettle picture
Stu Nettle (stunet)
Swellnet Dispatch

Peter Clarkson, a cowrie shell expert who co-wrote a book on the subject, was last night killed by two sharks while diving south of Perforated Island near Coffin Bay in South Australia. Clarkson, who was diving for abalone, was returning to the surface when the sharks attacked.

The attack was witnessed by Howard Rodd, who was the skipper of the boat they were diving from. Rodd and Clarkson had been working together for a few years diving and shelling in the region. Last year Clarkson gave a written testimonial on the merits of Shark Shield, an electronic shark deterrent, yet it is not known if he was wearing one at the time.

It is the second tragedy at sea for Rodd. In 2000 the boat that he was on capsized in waters off Ceduna. The only other person on the boat, Danny Thorpe, decided to cling to the upturned boat while Rodd set off for a nearby island. He didn't make the island, instead washing up at Point Peter 14 kilometres from where the boat capsized. Rodd then walked 20 kilometres through the desert to get help. After a full-scale search all that was found of Thorpe or the boat was a shredded life vest, and it was suspected Thorpe was taken by a shark.

Following the death of Thorpe, Rodd 'vowed that he would never go to sea again.'

Comments

prg1972's picture
prg1972's picture
prg1972 Thursday, 17 Feb 2011 at 9:35pm

RIP a fucken good man.

Craig's picture
Craig's picture
Craig Thursday, 17 Feb 2011 at 9:48pm

My thoughts are with the friends and family of Peter.

Just in regards to the shark-shields..

From what I can gather, they send out an electronic signal surrounding the person wearing it and when sharks become too close they are repelled by this electronic field.

This sounds like a valuable piece of equipment for divers and people going down solo while working in the coean, but I'm not so sure about it regarding surfing...

Sharks have an extra electrical sense, and I would think that if a surfer was wearing one of these at a surf break, that a nearby shark would be quite inquisitive on the signal that the shark-shield is sending out.

Could this possibly attract sharks to an area they would of otherwise avoided? Sure the surfer wearing the shield would be protected if the shark becomes close, but what about all the vulnerable surfers around them. Are they put in more danger?

Just a thought.

RIP Peter

sunbay76's picture
sunbay76's picture
sunbay76 Thursday, 17 Feb 2011 at 10:21pm

Apparantley some surfers were forced out of the water by sharks nearby quite recently. RIP.

lopez's picture
lopez's picture
lopez Thursday, 17 Feb 2011 at 10:43pm

Its less likely to be attacked if their is numbers in the water.Sharks job in nature is to eliminate the weak and lost.

Surfing by yourself like the unfortunate attack at Cactus in 2001 is asking for trouble down that way.

Last time I went towing with Jeff down there we went to Olive island which is a seal colony.The carnage caused by the whites was scary.Lots of scared and crippled seals with a dead one on the beach with a massive bite mark in its back.
All 4 ks from where we are surfing.

Also surf sessions of less than 2 hours is recommended as the buggers will smell and travel 40 km to eat you.

Maybe the crowds at Snapper are not that bad after all .

pitching_lip's picture
pitching_lip's picture
pitching_lip Thursday, 17 Feb 2011 at 10:55pm

A surf break in the vicinity of the attack (approx 4 - 6 miles)has had some sightings and encounters over the last three weeks. One guy and another group were chased from the water and two other guys called back in by onlookers on a cliff as they were paddling out.

I also heard that two surfers were in the water when a seal and a pod of dolphins started acting really nervous and were hanging close to the reefs avoiding the deeper water...............When the water mammals are nervous its usually an indicator that ol bitey is playing hide and seek with them.

I was surfing up the coast from the area last weekend and chatting about sightings in the region and how it might be a good idea to steer clear of the area for a while........around the coast there has been lots of convo about sharks recently, in a funny kind of way it has been like everyone had a felling something was going to occur..........

Anyway, all that shite aside, a good man had been lost to the sea. Also known in some circles as Pecten Pete (Pecten being the Genus for a scallop) for his conquests in speciman shell collection, he is well known and respected in the saltwater community. My thoughts are with his family and many friends. RIP

freeride76's picture
freeride76's picture
freeride76 Thursday, 17 Feb 2011 at 11:39pm

I wouldn't dive in those waters for all the gold in the world.

Sympathies to his family and friends.

scoopmaster's picture
scoopmaster's picture
scoopmaster Friday, 18 Feb 2011 at 2:49am

i also share your views on the shark shield craig, those of you into game fishing may have heard of a "mako magnet" - a similar device to a shark shield only tuned to a different frequency to mimic a struggling fish. As long as my wetsuit has not been soaking in tuna oil i feel quite safe in the surf and feel no need to artificially reduce my small odds of being bitten - if i was that paranoid i'd stop being the first one out for the dawn patrol, night surfs and take up lawn bowls instead.

lopez's picture
lopez's picture
lopez Friday, 18 Feb 2011 at 6:50am

Will be an article in the Australian regarding shark attacks by Jeff tomorrow if interested.

And regards to Peters Clarksons family.

timberskills's picture
timberskills's picture
timberskills Saturday, 19 Feb 2011 at 5:45am

my mate and i met a bloke and his two sons down at cactus a number of years back, over the month and a half we were there we surfed with dad and his two sons frequently. One afternoon we noticed that all three of them were wearing what appeared to be an extra leggie only it wasn't attached to the board. We asked dad what the deal was, and he had told us that it was a shark repelant of some sort and that it was his friend whom was developing the product and that he and his two sons were just testing it!!!

whiteshark's picture
whiteshark's picture
whiteshark Monday, 21 Feb 2011 at 5:15am

Sorry for not getting back to the swellnet readers earlier,the team from Whitetag down in Victoria did pilot tagging trip prior to Christmas off the Wilsons Prom/Corner Inlet region and I will share the findings in the coming weeks on Swellnet.
In response to the terrible SA incident last week,we have done much work with CSIRO in and around this area over the last five years,incorporating the Neptune Islands and unfortunately,it is so rich in marine life, white sharks treat this region of SA as a food highway.