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Australia is second only to the United States when it comes to the countries that record the most shark attacks on an annual basis. Now, it can add another tally to this year’s total courtesy of a windsurfer who had a harrowing encounter with a great white.
There was a significant decline in the number of documented shark attacks on humans in 2024. According to the International Shark Attack Files, there were 47 unprovoked bites compared to 69 the previous year, which was firmly below the average of 70 in the preceding decade.
All signs point to that average continuing to decline based on what’s transpired over the course of 2025. As of last month, there had been a little over 40 unprovoked attacks, and while the peak season in the United States is behind us, it’s picking up in the world’s second-biggest hotbed as temperatures rise in Australia.
As of the start of November, there had been around a dozen attacks in the Land Down Under, and that number has risen by one thanks to what transpired off its western coast on Monday.
A windsurfer in Australia needs a new board after a great white shark bit a chunk out of his during a scary encounter
On Monday, a Western Australian resident named Andy McDonald headed to a beach in the town of Prevelly to catch some waves on a hydrofoil board rigged with a sail that allows him to scoot across the water.
According to The Guardian, he was cruising off the shore around 5:45 PM when things took a scary turn after he was dragged underwater by what he believes was a great white shark he estimates was around 10 feet in length.
The 61-year-old recounted what went down in a video that was filmed after he thankfully walked away unscathed, saying he fell directly onto the shark that he immediately started punching before it swam away. He was able to climb up onto his sail before he began screaming for help, and a friend in the vicinity paddled over before helping to push him to shore.
According to 10 News—which obtained Swellnet footage of the attack—local officials issued a shark warning but declined to close down the beach.
McDonald also doesn’t appear to be overly traumatized by the incident, as he said the attack won’t deter him from returning to the water once he replaces the board that was damaged while somewhat boldly asserting, “Lightning never strikes twice.”