Shark attacks man in 20s at Bunker Bay, Western Australia
A man in his 20s has been bitten by a shark at the popular Bunker Bay beach in Western Australia, about 260 kilometres south-west of Perth, where he was believed to have been surfing.
Police say the victim was taken out of the water and a rescue helicopter was being sent to the beach.
A spokeswoman for St John Ambulance said the victim was a man in his 20s who suffered a bite to his leg.
The extent of his injuries is not yet known.
Bunker Bay is a popular tourist spot — this shark was captured on film there in 2015.(Supplied: Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter)
Fisheries WA said the shark was thought to be a four-metre white shark.
The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development received a report of a possible "shark bite incident" about 2:15pm.
The rescue helicopter was dispatched from the regional centre of Bunbury.
A woman working at the nearby Pullman Bunker Bay resort told the ABC employees were asked to shift their cars from the carpark to make way for the rescue helicopter to land.
She said the man had been taken to a nearby house to receive first aid while awaiting the helicopter.
It is understood the victim had been surfing at the time and another surfer reported seeing a shark swim beneath him shortly before the attack.
It is expected he will be flown to Royal Perth Hospital.
People have been urged to take additional care in the Bunker Bay area and to observe any beach closures.
Bunker Bay is a popular, picturesque beach not far from the tourist town of Dunsborough, about 260 kilometres south-west of Perth.
The bay is frequented by swimmers, fishers and surfers who take advantage of the popular Farm Break surf spot at the north-eastern end of the bay.
In 2011 bodyboarder Kyle Burden was killed by a shark at Bunker Bay.
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Comments
Wow i hope he's alright.
RIP Kyle, he was a good bloke taken too early.
Sounds very similar. Kyle was at boneyards. Crew around the corner at Rockies saw the shark cruise by and around the corner but couldn't get word to bunker bay.
The shark was said to have cruised past other people before randomly selecting poor Kyle.
Very lucky chap...hows the fucking bite on the board Christ - W.A.today got the pic
Bloody lucky indeed.
https://readsector.com/horror-as-man-in-his-20s-is-attacked-by-a-great-w...
Whoa, imagine trying to bite through your own board and get results like that! Man those sharks have some awesome biting power. I guess their teeth help quite a bit too, like it’s not like they are biting down with molars. Those lined up pointy sharp ended teeth are scary.
Jesus that would of bitten him in half
Hope he's ok with no lasting damage- physically or mentally.
RIP to Kyle too. Hope he's at peace.
That bite span on his board says it all!
Without knowing the extent of his injuries, a seriously lucky bloke.
Fark what a bummer. Well done to the crew who helped out. Incredible outcome all things considered. Hope everyone recovers soon enough.
Jesus. A 12ft white doesn't muck around. Hope you're all right, mate.
I read somewhere that sharks are more present in cooler waters during Winter. Don’t know whether this comment has any veracity. TBB do you know anything about this?
haggis is right to question...
Things are not quite right.. featured photo is not of this attack.
*(Feature Photo)
WA beach photo is from a SLSWA drone trial (See: swellnet date)
Sure, the featured photo shows a shark on back of a high...as being standard.
There is a stream that may flow nutrients after rain over berm on Higher Tide.
East Coast possibly wouldn't register but here...maybe more essential?
tbb doubts Sharks could gate outgoing bait fish on [ 0.17cm ] WA tides.
WA extreme wide shallow inshore waters, temps vary greatly to drop offs.
Alternating Reef currents are underrated, but are near impossible to Map...
A Likely attraction has been reported...
DPI : Drone surveillance Friday arvo Bunker Bay
"Seal Colony > Schooling Salmon."
https://www.sharksmart.com.au/news/
Latest News on WA 5m GWS
Fellow surfers stepped up again...Salute!
Girlfriend Mish was on the scene & thanked surfers + kind enough for update.
https://www.perthnow.com.au/news/sharks/surfer-phil-mummert-survives-bun...
Crew send best wishes to Phil
+ Another one or two!
USA is heating Up (Really!)
Maine GWS fatal (Woman swimmer in Wetsuit)
+ Long Island Scary Bull Shark is closing beaches
https://www.pennlive.com/nation-world/2020/07/shark-sightings-prompt-off...
tbb 2020 Oz Beached Whale Files. (Link)
https://www.swellnet.com/news/swellnet-dispatch/2018/11/22/buried-whale-...
We used to surf at that seal colony occasionally - only ever saw two other guys there. When the swell is 4-5m and the wind sw there's a fun left that breaks almost into the lagoon where the seals relax. They're quite curious and playful and will follow you along the wave. The bulls sit on the rock outcrop that heads the sheltered water....
We figured as long as the seals were relaxed it was okay - but it never felt safe and you wouldn't sit out deep waiting for that 'half hour' set.
Since all the attacks started I've avoided the place like the plague - it was stupid back then but now you'd be asking for it.
Unbelievably lucky surviving an attack from an white that size must have focused on the board and not him hope he recovers OK.
Big shout to the bloke who went to him extraordinary bravery.
time to cull the sharks and turn them into fish and chips
I'm pretty sure you're not going to be keen to eat any of the big ones. They are likely to be full of mercury. The higher up in the chain a predator gets and the bigger it gets the more mercury concentrates. I guess there's more than one way they can kill you.
I found this article on another site with some good safety resources including tourniquet information. Thought it might be useful to post it https://magicseaweed.com/news/first-aid-for-surfers-3-life-threatening-s...
Great share. Cheers mate. Hopefully this helps save someone else's life in the future.
Buoys said when he got hit, the board pretty much disintegrated. Foot of his tail left and same with the nose. Rest was just litlle foamy floating icebergs
VERY LUCKY BOY looking @ the size of that bite to what is left of his board. GWS are the only sharks that do a drive by first & then ambush their victim from the depths underneath.Hope his recovery is complete, both physically & mentally.
Incredibly fortunate. Anyone have any involvement with Bite Club? A friend of a guy who attempted to fight off the shark that attacked young Mani (RIP) at Wilsons Headland and brought him to shore to perform CPR asked me if I knew of the best avenue for support. Thanks.
Been through an attack see Stu or Ben for my details and pass on more than happy to talk through the issues and hopefully help out cheers.
I can't remember the guys name but the guy that started it lives at Crowdy. He was bitten by a Bull entering the back beach there which must be around 8 years ago now.
That shark won't be keen to repeat a mouth full of foam and fibreglass. One less to worry about.
Another one sighted there this morning by a drone...plenty of them around those parts
There’s a few whites getting about these days.
That used to be one of our go to spots to escape the crowds and the professional salmon fisherman who would have their gear on the beach always warned us about big sharks there and not to paddle out.
Of course being young and dumb we ignored them.
whoa, western australia too sharky
Surely JS should pop a fresh stick in the post for the lucky guy! Not sure how keen he'd be to use it though.....thank good he's alright.
For sure they will...Abe Mcgrath got one..
Spoke with a mate who lives out near Cape Naturaliste the other day.
He reckons the surf has been mentally crowded cape to cape for months now. Lots and lots of crew on jobkeeper/seeker