Tragic news. RIP mate.

Horrible... condolences to his family.

Saw that post from Jeff and thought please no. Deepest condolences

Yeah, I saw Jeff's post earlier and now this. So tragic.

just no good. RIP, young man.

Thoughts with his loved ones.
A well as those of Tod, Khai,
and those living with the ridiculous loss
of champions who loved surfing in SA waters.

Condolences to family and local crew, the whole coast is rocked.

Sad news, been a ruff run for the west coast the past year or so. RIP way to young

RIP mate.

Devastating. And following the recent attacks it will really rattle the community. Sending out love to the friends, family and those who witnessed and also helped along with the greater South Oz surfing community. It's quite small and tight knit.

Sad news, R.I.P. & condolences to his family & close friends.

Appalling way to die it is... godspeed young man.

Strange how Victoria hasn't had a fatal attack since 1956'. Maybe something is attracting them to South Australian waters? Mmm..

Just heard lots of sirens here in Lennox, right as I read this again. Hopefully just a cat up a tree.

R.I.P mate

Its possible its the same shark as the last attack or even other attacks in this area .

We roll the dice in SA in that area especially , such bad luck, awful , surfed it just after the last fatal, spooked surfers everywhere, then a few weeks before this attack, 2 seals one big, hanging around the boil, dolphins and fish everywhere, big salmon still around, saw one at cunns before coming to granites, 4 out, we all went straight in after the seals came in, , really feel for the family and community, how do you recover from this one..

Shooking news so sad RIP, my condolences to family and friends.

Sad news…again…I’m sure life was better when a pro fisherman had the legal right to put a bullet in a dangerous aggressive looking shark….rather than just trying somehow to warn everyone.
The pros can tell a bad one when they see it…..I’m into marine protection but not to that level.

We know the risks here in SA as a surfer, but enough is enough. They are not endangered!! Condolences to everyone involved. RIP

I remember surfing it 40 years ago at daybreak by myself. Really good waves, but I was so thankful when the local guys came out to join me. Spooky spot to surf alone. Could never stomach surfing alone at Blackfellows, even though it was good.

Terrible news, Condolences to the family

Tragic news , just horrible.

Really sorry to hear. My thoughts go out to his family and all of the Streaky / West Coast community. Also his people on the Tweed Coast where I believe he currently lived.

That’s 4 fatal in 18 months in SA.

He was from Streaky and just moved to Lincoln recently

Sad news.
There's something about stories like this that feel like a real gut punch when you hear it. So heavy.
Thoughts with family and friends.

I wonder what Jeff observed in the sharks behaviour before he posted his warning.

Shark reporting in SA
Ring 131444, SA Police Emergency.
Posting messages on socials doesn't close beaches nor does it get to everyone that knows.
RIP mate

There's been so many over the last couple of decades its almost become normalised now, shark attacks dramatically increased after the 1992' Rio UN Earth Summit. Before 1992' it was pretty rare. Michael Docherty was the first slaughtered by the Great White shark after that Rio moment in 92'. I read an account years ago of his death that was hard to forget. Tore him to shreds and dragged his remains around the lineup by his legrope. Sorry but its a grim reality. Maybe Humans are regarded as a liability since then. An acceptable loss.

Maybe the desk jockey 'con$ervationists' can have another 'shark summit' and talk about it some more, maybe eat some cake and celebrate their many 'achievements' this last few decades.

The 3 minute mark here below is quite interesting regarding shark advocacy' value on us Humans. CONservationists that don't even use the ocean.

Brutal. RIP.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-01-03/sa-shark-attack-victim-named-as-l...

RIP felt so sad when I heard last night. Drove past the day beforehand coming from further afield, water felt really warm.

https://substack.com/inbox/post/154058128?publication_id=2906249&post_id...

Don't want to sound like I'm making a flippant comment, but I can't help but wonder how big this shark was to have nothing (at this stage) left to find.
If indeed it was that big, I can honestly hope that it was very quick.
Sincere condolences.

I am so very sorry to read this. As has been said, hits like a gut punch, even all the way across the world, here. Condolences and love to whole community.

So sad to hear RIP, Even in West OZ they don't "seem" to eat the entire casualty like what's become the norm in SA.
One big rouge resident shark ?
Had planned my first SA camp/surf trip for this Autumn, hope there's enough crew around to avoid chickening out on perfect solo sessions .

- Even in West OZ they don't "seem" to eat the entire casualty like what's become the norm in SA-
Around 70 % W.A. Attacks have been Fully Consumed

people can argue all they like about culling but time and time again the victims families do not advocate for it

It’s well known that prior to the current shark obsession by conversationists to fight the “primitive” “jaws” view of whites, and the related dissemination of the fake perception that whites are endangered, that surfers were much safer in SA. That’s because shark fishing was the popular sport, rather than cage diving. The reality is and it has been well documented that the cage diving industry has encouraged aggressive shark behaviour and the associated lack of predatory behaviour by us humans has seen the risk to surfers spiral out of control.
As a well known senior policeman quietly said to me once during a nasty spate of attacks, Sharks are just big fish. There’s nothing wrong with fishing them.

Its simply called FISHING. The words 'culling' and 'killing' invoke a feminine emotional and hysterical response instead of a common sense logical response. We see that elsewhere in this forum. Its a mildy clever method of hiding the truth with Logical Fallacies and such. Its infantile and pathetic. Ambiguity is the fortress of heretics.

Colin Ostle former Fisheries Officer stated in The West Australian 'newspaper' in 2015: "The Great White should never have been afforded protection" so Lance Appleby and many many more should still be here. Enjoying their new year, getting ready for work.. or school as Khai Cowley would be. Too late now.

The 'results' of shark 'conservation' this last few decades are there for all to see now. No hiding it. Their 'achievements' are dead kids.

https://hakaimagazine.com/news/nine-out-ten-shark-scientists-agree-susta...

Imagine the outcry if you threw meat on a rope at a pack of dingoes or burleighed them up with some roo mince on the beach so some paying tourists can take some photos ..Youd be publicly raped by the media then stoned to death by 10000 do gooders . But its alright with sharks ..?

I read an article from the upper west coast of the USA a few years ago and the 'journalist' stated this: "While eating lunch at the back of the boat I kept a watchful eye on the surfboard we pulling behind the boat. Chumming for Great Whites with blood or fish parts is illegal in California, so the Golden Gate Expeditions crew troll for Great Whites with a surfboard, which, according to theory, the sharks mistake for seals" The picture that accompanied the article is of that same 'journalist' with 2 halves of a nice tri-fin shattered with many big attack marks. I could post that image here but I am not sure how to upload images... can someone explain how to upload images please.

The assertions of Mr Cheese & Fred Pawle that removing protections for GWS means that specific deaths would have been avoided are absolute rubbish. No-one can possibly know if removing a few big sharks in one area would have stopped those particular attacks. Sharks travel vast distances to hunt, patrol territory & mate. Not to be flippant, but I haven’t seen any sharks walking around on land. All ocean users understand the real danger associated with entering an apex predator’s environment - presumably including all who have tragically perished. If you can’t accept the (infinitesimal) risk that you may die while surfing in the jaws of a shark, best to stay on Terra Firma.

View this post on Instagram

Awful. Sincere condolences to all who knew or loved Lance.

I surfed the spot once and felt very fortunate to have done so. One of the very rare occaisions in my surfing life I was very grateful for the company of another surfer when they joined me.

Look after each other out there everyone

Rest in peace. So heavy.

Full condolensces to the family. Very sad.
Did i hear that the Pointer was getting stuck into the craypots in the very near vicinity prior to the attack?
I'm guessing pots are laid along this stretch of coast on the calmer sea surface days when they can get in closer to the reefs. (days when surf is generally good)?
Is there also any truth to the fact one of the boats that was present at the attack site was also present at the previous fatality at the same break?
Maybe a coincidence.
And agree with above. Posting on social media is ineffective.
This should have been alerted to the authorities if it was acting so aggressively.
Not pointing the finger. Just looking at ways to avoid in future.

It would seem a good location to set some smart drum lines- at a minimum.

Provide a good living for a local contractor, give real time data on white shark populations/seasonal movements and potentially offer a deterrent effect.

I know it's not a foolproof method of reducing risk- nothing is.
But it seems better than all the alternatives, at present.

Not the time to discuss it now, all thoughts for the family and friends.

Rest in Peace.....

It's always so awful every time this happens and it's unfortunately happening a little too consistently of late. As a community we always try to come up with solutions to this problem which is great and it is needed for sure.

I do wonder if over fishing is a reason for more shark activity/encounters with humans? Surely if we are taking away a seals main food source (fish) then that would mean less seal numbers which in turn would reduce a reliable food source for GW's (outside of whale migration seasons) meaning they are more likely to look closer at other food sources?

I do agree with the shark cage theory too and the analogy of the dingoes is perfect.....

My sincere condolences to everyone affected in particular to the family and friends of Lance.

Yep condolences and empathy to family and friends. RIp mate.

My condolences to Lances family and friends. A sad day for all concerned.

RIP.

There is a lot of theories going around but the reality is we just don't know enough about these animals and their behaviours a lot of resarch needs to be done on what triggers these interactions and possible preventive measurements, There is always going to be risk but at the moment it seems the risk is elevated particulary along that coast but Ive always thought that when surfing those waters, definately warrants more research in this area. RIP Lance

Australia’s most successful, intentional shark control program has been carried out in Queensland since I believe 1964 and given the huge numbers of aggressive bull sharks, as well as a decent number of tiger and white sharks in southeast Queensland waters it is amazing there have not been more ocean fatalities, on the Gold Coast in particular. You can put that down to the success of that program which makes no bones about what it does. The drum lines are particularly effective.
Yes there has been tragic estuarine shark fatalities but those no longer now the behaviour and habits of bull sharks in such zones is common knowledge and swimmers avoid those areas. But there have been zero fatalities, I believe, except for Nick Slater (RIP). Obviously this incident happened right on the border of a state (NSW) which has a much more benign (albeit improved since 2015) shark program, so you would speculate the shark was likely moving north and had missed the nearest drum line and net. Also compare northern rivers shark fatalities and attacks since 2014 with Queensland to illustrate the point in regions with a near identical climate.
Without that program, Queensland’s tourism industry would not be what it is today.
Yes there has been in recent years a spate of attacks in tropical Queensland, I’d argue the dispersed islands where many of these occurred are harder to a manage a reliable control program. It’s also the case that the huge coastlines of SA and WA make it somewhat impractical or unreliable to do so.
But as a minimum, as FR says, a smart drum line off known or iconic surfing breaks would be a wise investment by the state.
The fact is, surfers are the primary targets of shark attacks in Australia.
I’m all up for being eco conscious and “manning up” but there is no way any parent wants to see their kid ripped in pieces in front of them.
I’m sick of people saying “it’s your choice to take the risk”. It’s not quite like that. We’re surfers, and it is a leisure/therapy lifestyle activity, you don’t just drop it, and we are the primary targets. Don’t people want to have some kind of balanced approach to this? Would you really prefer a shark lives and your son/daughter dies (both have happened)?
People obsess about sharks but they don’t seem to care about all the flora and fauna which is invisible, unseen, which could be just as important (probably more) for the eco system.
I’d like to see the evidence that white sharks in particular are some kind of essential apex predator for the health of the oceans. It’s not like if they disappear we suddenly are at risk of a “plague of seals”.
I’m not saying we kill them all. But I am saying I value human life over a sharks and popular or iconic surfing zones, where practical, should be areas where some kind of active shark management practices are permitted.
It’s a no brainer that we should be trying to limit the number of these tragedies but that doesn’t seem to be the prevailing response to this awful incident.

I live in SA and have surfed for over 45 years at many breaks in Oz and abroad. Been West quite a few times over those years but to be honest with myself I never really felt comfortable in the water there or West Oz because of the shark rep. When the waves were on you forget about it but those lulls sometimes.... These days with the packed lineups (and age) I think I'm done with over there. Although great memories and adventures. RIP.

1962 for the QLD Shark Control program.
1937 for the NSW Shark Meshing Program, now called the Shark Management Program.

Both of these are "culling" programs. That is, they work by fishing and reducing the number of sharks in the vicinity of the nets and drum lines.

I don't believe their effectiveness can be argued against by anyone who looks at the data objectively.

The problem is lethal effects apply to non-target species (bycatch).
As well, of course, to the sharks themselves.

Smart Drum lines have practically zero lethal bycatch and very low mortality for the sharks themselves.

What is the typical bycatch - species and numbers?

It varies between states, areas and methods used.

Drumlines have very low bycatch compared to nets, which have high bycatch.

Basically, anything that swims into the net gets tangled up and dies- sharks, rays, turtles, dolphins etc etc.

https://www.rnz.co.nz/international/pacific-news/538140/man-dies-in-shar...

https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/1994176/shark-attack-tourist-killed...

More humans have died by the hand of humans . It’s the risk we take. Rip

There was a study done in West Oz a few years ago to try to calculate the Western Pointer population which also incorporates the ones that head to SA in summer. (distinct populations separate to each other on East and West Coast, separated by Bass Straight).
They ran a heap of calculations based on empirical fishing bycatch from as far back as 1939 combined with current known data. Obviously plenty of flaws could be found but after running numerous hundreds of data set possibilities based on the above calculations, the eventual conclusion was that Pointer numbers are increasing between 2 and 6 percent per year.
Make of that what you will. Significant? Maybe, when combined with an ever growing human population using the water.
I'd post the link to the study here but it's locked behind academic walls unfortunately. Not sure why this stuff isn't put out into the public.
Also, i noted someone above, maybe @simba posed the question about it being a repeat offender, and i for one certainly subscribe to a similar theory. Thinking about the clusters of attacks over the past couple of decades....Ballina, Margs, Perth Esperance and now Streaky, it's hard not to draw conclusions that there may be one particularly aggressive pointer at each of those locations that has identified it as a place for repeated visitations.
This one really hit home. Such a heavy heart for the friends and family of Lance out there on the West coast.
Btw for anyone with access through an institution, this is the link.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0304380017303447

I've managed to download a pdf of the study so i'll send it through to Stu and if anyone wants a copy he'll be able to send it through.

Condolences to Lance's family, friends and the West Coast SA community, I am so sorry to hear this news.

RIP that’s tragic and a horror way to go.
As for not far from extinction if an apex predator has been a protected species for donkeys years that BS there in declining numbers . The shark tours burlying up and cage diving couldn’t be good if sharks are looking for boats and get accustomed to it . I take my hat off to surfers down SA trying to block out white sharks to go for a paddle

I think the article below makes a salient point - if sharks were deliberately targeting surfers we'd be stuffed.
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2025/jan/04/as-police-search-for...

Out of Respect how about you Post this Digestion stuff Elsewhere on Site

What happened to Fanning...
A Shark Snapped his Legrope.