Tiger sharks frenzy in Western Australia

Shark Updates

Beaches shut down as tiger sharks circle - surfer gets bumped

Surfersvillage Global Surf News, 19 December, 2012 : - - Up to 16 tiger sharks fed off a dolphin carcass around 8:30 a.m. Wednesday -- just 20 meters from one of Perth's most popular beaches. The sharks ranged in size from 1- to 3 meters. “I can't recall off the top of my head seeing anything remotely like this -- the sight of up to 16 sharks feeding within about 30 meters of the water’s edge is truly amazing,” said John Snook, beach services coordinator.

Beaches at Scarborough and Trigg were closed immediately. The frenzy attracted many curious onlookers as the sharks came so close to shore you could touch them. 

A surfer described how he fought off a 2m shark when a feeding frenzy involving up to 16 sharks erupted at South Trigg beach yesterday. Rich Wands, 33, of Cottesloe, said he was surfing 30m offshore about 8.30am when the shark started to circle him and swam beneath his board. "I was basically trying to follow it as it circled me, then it came round and it rammed me," he said.

The drilling engineer picked up his board and used it to smash the shark's face again and again, until it swam away, but it came around and went for him again. "It was going to happen, this was a final attack," he said. "I had to do something or I was going to lose an arm or a leg."

He hit the shark again, then yelled to alert others in the water and paddled furiously to shore. Only when he reached the sand did he realise he had been in the middle of a feeding frenzy. He ran about 300m and alerted a surf lifesaving officer, who sounded the alarm and shut Trigg and Scarborough beaches, which remained closed until about 4pm. About 10 other surfers were with Mr Wands and children were playing in the shallows and all paddled in when the alarm sounded.

Brody Martin, 12, was knee-deep in water when he saw a metre-long shark about 10 metres away. "I felt excited. I've never seen a shark before," he said. He walked back to shore after his mother's friend screamed at him to get out of the water.

Source: Yahoo!/WIVB

Author: The Editors

Tags: Western Australia, Tiger Sharks, Perth

Sharks: Surfersvillage