by The Editors on August 23, 2011
Tim van Heerden, a 49-year-old surfer from Plettenberg Bay, South Africa died from injuries after he was attacked by what may have been a great white shark, according to a story on Bloomberg.
Van Heerden was surfing off Lookout Beach near the Keurbooms river mouth and was with a large group of surfers, Craig Lambinon, a spokesman for the National Sea Rescue Institute, said in an interview on his mobile phone. Van Heerden appears to have been bitten in the groin area and the femoral artery may have been severed, Lambinon said, adding that an autopsy will be performed.
According to a story in the Sun UK, Heerden saw the shark coming in and was able to shout a warning to other surfers in the area. “But he couldn’t save himself as the beast attacked, first biting him at the top of the leg, then pulling him underwater before biting him again.”
Our thoughts are with Heerden’s family and friends.
[Link: Bloomberg and Sun UK]
by The Editors on July 24, 2011
A South African surfer survived a shark attack on Friday, July 22, 2011, in Cinsta, thanks to fellow surfers according to a story in the Windsor Star.
“A 27-year-old surfer was bitten on his upper left arm and on his right leg by a shark of unknown species,” spokesman Craig Lambinon said. . . Fellow surfers pulled him from the water on his board and raised the alarm for others in the water at the Cinsta East beach, he said. . . By the time rescue services arrived, the man was already on land.
The surfer was in stable condition on arrival at the hospital. Sounds like those “fellow surfers” were the right guys to be out with.
[Link: Windsor Star]
by The Editors on June 24, 2011
We’ve been calling it the shark bite capital of the world for years, but this week Orlando Sentinel photographer Jacob Langston caught more evidence of why New Smyrna Beach, Florida is still shark central.
Langston’s focus was on his subject in the foreground of his camera and didn’t see the four-foot spinner shark jumping over another surfer. . . It wasn’t until he was back in the office editing his video that he realized he had captured the awesome moment in the background.
We’ll say it for at least the tenth time: can’t believe they risk surfing with sharks for those waves?
[Link: Orlando Sentinel] [click to continue…]
by The Editors on June 24, 2011
Kevin Moraga, 15, was surfing with friends at Playa Grande in the North Pacific side of Costa Rica at a little after noon on Sunday, June 19, 2011 when he was hit by a shark in the left thigh. The bite resulted in massive blood loss, according to a story in the Tico Times.
Moraga was transferred on Wednesday in a coma to the Hospital Mexico in San José, where doctors are better equipped to handle trauma patients. He died Thursday afternoon of a cerebral edema. An edema is caused by a large build-up of fluids in the brain.
This was reportedly the first shark attach at Playa Grande in recent memory. Our thoughts are with Moraga’s family and friends.
[Link: Tico Times via Surfline]
by The Editors on May 26, 2011
Apparently, the tiger sharks at Holualoa Bay on the Big Island of Hawai’i have been hungry lately. Two surfboards have been chomped in the last four days, according to a story in the Star-Advertiser.
The shark had come right up the tail of the board, clamped down over the skeg, pulling the back half of the 8-foot board under water, Honebrink said. . . The surfer, identified by Grace as Theresa Fernandez, was trying to grab onto the nose of her surfboard and paddle away from the shark, then the shark let go, he said. . . On Sunday at midday, a woman and her 3-year-old grandson were riding a stand-up paddleboard when a large shark knocked them both off the board about 20 feet offshore and took a bite out of the board, but didn’t touch them.
Just hope those Kona sharks keep craving fiberglass.
[Link: Star-Advertiser]
by The Editors on May 13, 2011
Surfer Adrian Bronson, 37, was in shallow water on May 13, 2011 “near the Harvard Drive beach approach in Ormond Beach, Floride when he felt a nip in his calf.
He sustained minor puncture wounds and didn’t go to the hospital, Marris said. After surfing, he went to work, she said. . . This is the second shark bite incident off Volusia County beaches this year, she said.
Volusia County sharks better hurry up if they want to hold onto their title as the “shark bite capital of the world.” Two this year? Someone is slacking.
[Link: Orlando Sentinel]
by The Editors on March 23, 2011
Surfer Dave Pearson, 48, was surfing New South Wales’ Austalia’s Crowdy Head at about 6:30 PM when he was hit by a three-meter shark, according to a story in the Daily Telegraph.
The Coopernook local had been swimming in the rough surf for several hours before the beast attacked him – severing his arm and causing lacerations to his face. . . Crowdy Beach Surf Life Saving caretaker Adam Eady was one of the first on the scene to help Mr Pearson when his friends brought him to shore. . . “He was very lucky to come away from that without serious injuries. . . “The shark bit through his board – if it hadn’t of been there it would have ripped him in half.”
Experts say the shark that hit Pearson was most likely a bull shark. It was the second attack in the area in a week, according to the story.
[Link: Daily Telegraph]
by The Editors on March 14, 2011
Byron Bay, Australia surfer Prem Puri had just dropped in on a perfectly little right and was setting up for cutback when something hit the tail of his board and stopped him dead in the water, according to a story in the Northern Star.
“I didn’t see what it was, but there are definitely no rocks or anything around there where I was surfing,” he said. . . “I was doing a bottom-turn and something hit me and threw me off – it had to be something big.”
When he came up the tail of his board was broken off and his foot was in pain. He’s still not exactly sure what exactly chomped him, but from the photographic evidence it looks an awful lot like the work of the gray suits, doesn’t it?
[Link: Northern Star]
by The Editors on February 23, 2011
A 32-year-old surfer at Three Rocks, Saint-Gilles on France’s Reunion Island lost his leg in a shark attack on Saturday, February 6, 2011, according to a story on Underwater Times.
Several surfers in the water at the time of the attack said they heard the man scream for help. The victim reportedly had his leg torn off at the knee. He was said to be conscious when he was evacuated by emergency personnel to the hospital.
This is reportedly the first time there has been a shark attack at Three Rocks.
[Link: Underwater Times via Surfline]
by The Editors on February 3, 2011
The Daily Mail headline was a little hard to miss: “100,000 sharks mass off Florida’s beaches.” And so far no one has been bitten. Not even in Volusia Country, the shark-bite capital of the world.
Pilot Steve Irwin [no relation] was astonished after spotting a mass of more than 100,000 sharks swimming just 100 yards off Florida’s sandy beaches.. . . The sharks – believed to be Spinners, between 3ft and 7ft long – were heading north and swimming parallel to the east coast’s idyllic white beaches between Fort Lauderdale and exclusive Jupiter Island.
As if Florida surfers didn’t have it hard enough already. . .[Editors’ note: We think that’s the fourth or fifth time we’ve said that.]
[Link: Daily Mail]
