Shark Strikes In South West

Chris Binns

South Point - closed for the day. Pic Jamie Scott

The West Australian coastal hamlet of Gracetown, 300km south of Perth, has been hit by tragedy with a surfer attacked at around 8.15am this morning while surfing at South Point, Cowaramup Bay. The man, so far only described as a 31-year-old Busselton resident, pulled himself ashore suffering “horrific injuries,” according to West Australian Police Media’s Sergeant Graham Clifford, talking to ASL. “Witnesses saw the man separated from his board, whether he had been knocked off it by the shark or had previously lost it, we don’t know.”


South Point this morning. Three foot, oily and "one of those shark days," according to photog Jamie Scott. Pic Jamie Scott.

St John’s Ambulance were called by witnesses who were preparing to go surfing but, according to reports on other news services, had been put off by the large number of seals in the water. Emergency service workers rushed to the hard-to-access scene of the attack and began treatment at the shoreline, however the severe nature and extent victim’s injuries saw him pronounced dead upon arrival at Margaret River Hospital. The last fatal shark attack in West Australia was in December 2008, when Brian Guest was taken by a white pointer while snorkelling for crabs.

Today's attack occurred at South Point, just inside Cowaramup Bay and less than a kilometre from the scene of Gracetown's last shark fatality at Lefthanders. Brad Smith was mauled by two great white sharks in July 2004. Although the attack lasted less than a minute, Smith was dead by the time he was dragged ashore. His brother came out later and released a statement saying that "to kill the shark would be an act of senseless revenge".


The South Point carpark packed with media and emergency crew. Pic Jamie Scott

In November 2000 Perth businessman Ken Crew was killed in waist deep water, just metres off the beach at North Cottesloe in Perth. An extraordinary session of parliament was called to pass legislature allowing for the protected animal to be destroyed. A helicopter followed the enormous great white up and down Perth beaches for a couple of days before it finally headed out to sea.

ASL contacted Mark Meekan, from the Australian Institute of Maritime Science, for an expert’s opinion on today’s tragedy. “The area is known for it’s sharks,” says Mark, who was featured on Channel Nine’s Sixty Minutes after Brad Smith was attacked. “That, coupled with surfing at dawn and the pod of seals seen in the area would have greatly increased the chance of attack. Sharks often mistake surfers for seals and will retreat after the initial bite when they realize their mistake. In many cases this allows the surfer adequate time to escape, unfortunately sometimes too much blood is lost and it’s too late.”

“Surfers will always go back into water,” said Meekan, “regardless of sharks. We just need to remember that every time we get in the water we aren’t at the top of the food chain anymore. It’s that simple.” Meekan also explained that despite the great white being protected since 1999, under the Environmental Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act, there had not been enough time for their numbers to significantly increase. “It’s biologically impossible.”

Local ripper Dino Adrian didn’t surf today. An early onshore (South Point is sheltered) gave Dino the perfect excuse to complete some renovations he’s been putting off. "I was pretty relieved I didn’t surf when I heard the news,” said Adrian to ASL, “but my heart goes out to the man and his family. It’s a real tragedy. The news spread like wildfire around town. No-one is sure who it is yet, and there have been a lot of calls flying around as everyone checks to make sure it’s no-one they know.

“There’s definitely a somber mood here. What makes it even scarier is the fact it’s so close to where the other guy got taken a few years back. I don’t think anybody will be surfing South Point for a few days.”

Gracetown, home to the famous freightrain barrels of North Point and autumn photo studio to the pros, has seen tragedy before, most recently the death of Smith and before that the Gracetown Cliff Collapse, which killed nine and ripped the guts out of the local community 15 years ago. On September 27, 1996, teachers and students from Cowaramup Primary School were at Huzzas Beach, just inside South Point, for a school surf carnival. Seeking shelter from the weather four children and five adults, including headmaster Ian Bremner, were killed when overhanging limestone cliffs collapsed. Eight years later the families of the victims were left facing huge legal bills, when the courts ruled the state government was not responsible for the collapse.

ASL are following this story closely and will bring you more information as we have it.

Our thoughts and prayers go the as yet unnamed victim, his family and friends. Rest In Peace.

WEDNESDAY 18/08 UPDATE: Police have revealed that the victim was 31-year-old Busselton man Nicholas Edwards. He is survived by a wife and two children. The surf community is thinking of you all at this terrible time.

Click here for an eye witness account.