Words Sam Zubevich
February in Far North NSW is usually an idyllic time for surfers. Fun, consistent east swell, warm water (which is now bordering on tropic temps) and best of all – it’s only a taste of what’s just around the corner. But in the last 48 hours every surfer’s worst nightmare has become an alarming reality. One non-fatal incident yesterday at Seven Mile Beach ended in a 35 year old man driving himself to the hospital, bleeding profusely from his back. The next, at Shelly Beach this morning, resulted in a tragic loss of life. Smack bang in the middle of the two incidents lays Lennox Heads, the beloved hometown of Adam Melling, who we spoke to for a local’s perspective on the situation just after he arrived in Sydney for the Australian Open of Surfing.
Adam Melling, somewhere near his home in Northern NSW. Photo: Andrew Shield
While you’re safe down there in Manly, it sounds like around home has been dangerous.
Ah fuck it’s so bad. We hit the road yesterday, I drove down and on the way one of my mates texted me a picture of this bloke who got ripped into all around his back. He got attacked at Seven Mile (between Byron Bay and Lennox Head) then drove himself to hospital.
I thought someone was lying to us this morning though. One of the glassers at the Emery factory rang us and said he was at the Lighthouse Beach car park this morning, watching them drag this bloke in without his legs. It was the heaviest thing he’s ever seen. It’s so heavy – I don’t know what to think. I was tripping out, waiting for a text to say it was one of my mates. I’m not sure who it was but I didn’t know him. I think he’d been around for a while though because my mate the glasser said he’d known him for eight years or so and he has a wife and kid. It’s fucked up.
You just don’t think that it could happen around Lennox. I’ve pretty much felt safe my whole life up until the last four years or so. Now the bull sharks are getting more hectic. Last year I went fishing out at the point and these guys were burleying up and a massive Great White just came up, sniffing out the chum lines. That’s like only just off the Point too, maybe 200 metres. I was surfing out there the other afternoon and there was all these bloody jellyfish and schools of mullet around. It’s pretty dodgy.
Melling, about an hour north of Northern NSW. Photo: WSL
When you see a lot of sea life it’s scary to think what else could be following it around…
Yeah. You’re not allowed to fish around a lot of the estuaries around home at certain times of the year, and I feel like there aren’t as many big fish anymore, so the sharks come in to sniff out the beaches and eat the small ones where no one’s allowed to fish. It’s pretty hectic, I almost feel like they need to go out and get rid of a few.
Had there been much talk of culling around town even before these last two attacks?
I don’t know. It’s so controversial. I had an old fisho mate that used to live in Lennox who was a professional fisherman, and he was like, “Mate when I lived here 20 years ago you’d never see a Great White, ever!” He’d see them out wide, or they’d come in around at Byron because they used to have the Whaling Station there, but he couldn’t understand why they weren’t being taken out. He’d say, “They just don’t die, they keep getting bigger and bigger and no one will do anything about it!” So that’s one side of it, but on the other hand it’s their domain and we’re just out there floating around so it’s hard to get a balance.
As a surfer I feel like the ocean is getting overfished for the big stuff, so we’re probably doing it to ourselves! But if people are dying a few times a year then something needs to be done. It’s a pretty beautiful creature, but they’ll rip you in two in a second. Especially all of the bull sharks because they’re so aggressive. Back in the day you’d never see them, but now they’re kilometers up freshwater rivers. I don’t know, I think they should start getting rid of them.
Have you been in the water lately around home?
Yeah last week I was. It’s dodgy because the water’s so warm and there’s so much action. The birds are always workin’ out at the Point and there’s plenty of mullet coming through the lineup. I hadn’t really seen any until about a week ago, but now they’ve started to come through. You can smell them in the air. Everyone’s pretty spooked.
The water looks crystal clear here, but on some days after a big rain you can’t see an inch down your leg. What’s under there, right now? Photo: WSL
So there’s a bit of a nervous vibe around town?
Yeah for sure, all of the beaches are closed. It’s scary because around Lennox and Ballina you pretty much know everyone that surfs, so it just seems like a matter of time until it’s one of your good mates. It’s really sad whoever it is though. Something needs to be done – whether it’s culling or another new strategy to prevent attacks.
Will it change where you surf when you get back from Manly?
Not really, but it will probably change when I surf. I’ll be more aware of where I’m surfing and I’ll go out when there are more people because then your percentage drops! Haha. I don’t know, you’d have to be so unlucky, but when it’s happening this often around our area, it’s pretty dodgy. I’m a bit spooked to be honest so we’ll see how we go.
We were out at the Point with about five of us one afternoon and I was left out the back by myself, which felt pretty sketchy! You don’t want to think about it. It’s ok when the surf’s good and you’re catching heaps of waves, but when you’re just sitting there and there’s mullet around it’s just so dodgy.
Suddenly it seems like it’s the East Coast’s turn, so now you might feel safer when you go over to WA for the Margaret River contest!
Ah I wouldn’t go that far! Haha. You have to paddle out in the middle of the bloody ocean over there. I always wanted to move to WA until the whole shark saga happened, then I was like, “That’s a big no!” Now it’s happening at home so I might have to take up roller-skating or something.
Don’t give up your day job just yet Mello. Surfing Life’s thoughts and best wishes are with the friends and family of both victims.
If you would like further details on the attack, you can read the more factual article here.