iStockphoto / ap-images / Gustavo Muñoz Soriano
A surfer in Queensland, Australia was very fortunate to avoid a shark attack during an incident this week. He was on a hydrofoil board off Bundaberg, in Queensland when a shark bit into his board leaving bite marks behind.
Dave Seymour spoke with local news about the close encounter and showed off the damage to his board on TV.
Surfer Narrowly Avoids Shark Attack, Shows Off Bite Marks
He was knocked off his board and into the water after the shark took a bite out of his hydrofoil. Putting yourself in his shoes for a moment, the last place on earth you want to be after a shark just rushed your board and bit into it is floating in the water unsure of where the shark is, and desperate to get moving again and back to safety.
Dave said that in the days prior to the shark attack, there were boats trawling pretty close to shore. Whether the boats fishing close to the beach is the cause or effect of fish in the area, it certainly means there were lots of small fish in the area and that would, in turn, bring the sharks in for an easy meal. Sharks often trail behind trawling boats for easy meals as fish slip through the nets.
The surfer believes the presence of these trawlers contributed to the shark attack and says he has confidence that it was an isolated incident and pretty rare. Here is his interview:
Speaking on camera, he said he didn’t see the shark coming and this was the first time he had used this type of board. The shark attack occurred within 10 minutes of him being in the water and he was still getting his bearings, learning the ins and outs of the new ride.
He says he “got hit” and that he could hear the “almost rippling and tearing sound” as the shark hit him “with some speed.” He thinks the sharks might’ve heard the propeller from the nearby trawlers and come in to investigate.
Shark Activity All Over!
Elsewhere in the Pacific, this video from the popular Instagram account @MalibuArtist is going viral. It shows a great white shark lazily stalking children in the water while swimming off the California coast. He says he was over a mile away while filming and was unable to alert the swimmers in the water:
If that was you in the water, would you want to see the footage afterward? Would knowing that a great white shark was checking you out impact your decision to get back in the water next time at the beach? Let me know down in the comments below!