Shark Attack

[Griff]

I just got this news.

a big shoal of sardines were spotted just south of 'Mkabati yesterday--as amatter of fact, an English photographer, Tony White, was attacked and severely bitten on his arm by a shark when diving off a ski-boat and was subsequently airlifted to Margate Hospital--hundreds of dolphin and thousands of birds are also in the area.

Here is the website.

http://www.ecr.co.za/CALL-27-31-5709495/surf/surf.asp

The area is the Wild Coast, on the south eastern shore of south africa. I've looked elswhere but so far this is the only report i can find.

It seems that the danger is still out there. Especially when there is such high shark activity as in the sardine run.
I hope that this guy recovers.

Mark

 

[Griff]

More info

Taken from

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?click_id=522&art_id=ct20020603233701171S621381&set_id=1

Shark attacks Brit filming sardine run in KZN

June 03 2002 at 11:37PM



By Barbara Cole

A visiting British film crew shooting the famous sardine run got some dramatic unscripted footage on Monday when one of the team was bitten by a copper shark.

Luckily, a Natal Sharks Board plane with a police paramedic on board just happened to be in the area to pluck the victim to safety.

It is the first recorded incident of a human being attacked by a copper shark - they are between 1,5m and 2,5m long - but Graham Charter, the Sharks Board chief executive, who was on board the plane, said it was possible that the shark had misidentified its prey because of all the frenzied activity going on in the sea at Mkhambati, between Port Edward and Port St Johns.

Tony White, aged about 50, who was bitten above the elbow and had a large flap of skin and tissue ripped from the bone, was still in theatre at Margate Hospital when The Mercury telephoned on Monday night.

White and three colleagues were at Mkhambati and snorkelling with the sardines when the sharks suddenly appeared. His friends were able to climb into their boat, but White was attacked. His friends managed to get him to shore and bandaged his wounds.

A Natal Sharks Board plane was on a flight to determine the position of the sardines when a call for help came in. The pilot managed to land the plane in uneven terrain, pick up the bleeding man and fly him to Margate.

This is the first time i have heard of anyone being bitten during the 'Run, has anyone els?

 

[SASpearo]

Wasn't there that guy two years ago that lost a leg? I think it was at Isipingo - where the surfer got bitten this year as well ...

 

[Griff]

"Surfer" is shark-latin for sitting duck

I also remember hearing about that. i was more interested in spearos getting chomped, because i havent heard of any instances during the sardine run in particular. i think that this might be the first attack on a diver in kzn for a few years.

i heard a few more details about the attack on tony white. apparently he was "sucked" into the bait ball, and the shark, doing its usual swim-with-your mouth-open routine swam into the unfortuante diver. news is that he has not suffered permanent damage. i'm sure that he has a few hardcore scars though.

mark

 

[SASpearo]

The guy who lost his leg was a spearo

apparantly ...

Maybe ask Rob and Brian - they've got their fingers on the pulse ...

IOL carried a follow up where they said the shark ripped a slab of flesh from his arm, but it was still attached, so they could sew it back on ... lucky guy.

 

[Spearman]

It's great to know that it's not always the shark that wins. This guy was crazy enough to get into a tuna pen to kill a white shark:
Freediver Attacks Great White Shark
Ok, the shark was injured...
So what? would you get in the water?!?!