A 50-year-old man has died after being bitten by a shark near Forster, north of Sydney. The man was surfing when the attack took place.
The shark attack is the first fatal one recorded in Australian waters this yearImage: imago/OceanPhoto
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A surfer died after being bitten by a shark off the Australian east coast, police said on Tuesday.
Emergency services rushed to Tuncurry Beach, more than 300 kilometers (186 miles) north of Sydney, where the 50-year-old man was attacked by a shark while surfing.
"Despite the best efforts of paramedics and bystanders at the scene, the man could not be resuscitated," New South Wales Ambulance tweeted.
The man, whose name has not been disclosed, suffered critical injuries to his upper right thigh.
Shark nets in South Africa threaten sea life
To protect swimmers from attacks, shark nets have been deployed along South Africa's most popular beaches. But the net also poses a danger to sea animals that swim too close to the "curtains of death."
Image: Michele Spatari/AFP
Surf's up
A surfer hits the waves at Durban's North Beach. Occasional shark sightings aren't unusual at this popular swimming and surfing spot. The ocean predators first gained a bad reputation in the 1950s when a string of deadly attacks scared people away from the white sand beaches in KwaZulu-Natal province. Today, more than 6 million tourists visit the pristine coastline annually.
Image: Michele Spatari/AFP
Warning sign
The shark-warning flag is raised at Muizenberg beach, which is part of False Bay. The black flag indicates visibility in the water is poor, which means sharks lingering close to the shore may not be spotted.
Image: Rodger Bosch/AFP
A safety net?
In a bid to protect swimmers — and assuage fears — 37 beaches spanning an area of more than 300 kilometers in the Durban area are now lined with nets and baited drum lines. While it may offer peace of mind to some holidaymakers, conservationists argue the nets could prove fatal for any large animal that swims too close. Dolphins, dugongs, sea turtles and whales are especially at risk.
Image: Rodger Bosch/AFP
Trapped in the 'curtains of death'
Shark activist Walter Bernardis pulls at a shark net anchor during a dive off the small coastal town of Umkomaas, near Durban. Two parallel nets set on baited hooks create an aquatic trap. "They're basically curtains of death," Bernardis says. Although the KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) province hasn't reported a deadly attack for 67 years, at least 400 sharks suffocate in the nets each year.
Image: Michele Spatari/AFP
Controversial methods
A KwaZulu-Natal Sharks Board Maritime Centre of Excellence (KZNSB) boat crew head out to service shark nets off the coast near Durban. KZNSB's shark control program has been strongly criticized by environmentalists. Although species like the great white shark are protected in South Africa, the KZNSB is allowed to kill them. The organization has also installed shark nets in Marine Protected Areas.
Image: Michele Spatari/AFP
A flawed system
Dead sharks are often found in the shark nets off the coast of Durban. Scientists and conservationists claim that shark nets do not improve ocean safety as much as expected. Divers have witnessed animals swimming under the mesh, which is only around six meters deep. Most get stuck on their way back from the shoreline, rather than the other way around.
Image: Jeffrey Rotman/OKAPIA KG/picture alliance
Swimming with the sharks
Tourists' fascination with the apex predators remains high. Some resorts such as the Blue Ocean Dive Resort offer divers the chance to swim with black-tip sharks and tiger sharks. Aliwal Shoal, a fossilised sand dune that lies about 4 kilometers offshore from Umkomaas, is one of the few places in the world where visitors can dive without a cage.
Image: Michele Spatari/AFP
Misguided fear
A diver shakes a sardines bait during a baited shark dive. Only five out of hundreds of shark species are considered dangerous to humans, including bull and tiger sharks. Figures suggest the predators rarely attack humans, regardless of whether nets are used as a barrier. According to records from the Univeristy of Florida, only around 100 shark attacks were reported globally in 2019.
Image: Michele Spatari/AFP
A rare sighting
A wild shark sighting is far from guaranteed. A few years ago, tour companies had to change the name of their activity from "tiger shark dive" because sightings of the species had become so rare. Environmentalists and divers blame the decrease on the shark control measures which have been around since the 1950s.
Image: Michele Spatari/AFP
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Tuesday's shark attack is the first fatal one recorded in Australian waters since November, when another surfer was killed near the northwest town of Broome.
According to government data, 26 such maulings took place in 2020, eight of which were fatal.
Officials are working to identify the species of the shark.
Meanwhile, authorities have closed off Tuncurry Beach and the neighboring Forster Main Beach.
