MORE SHARK ATTACKS IN AUSTRALIA: Andrew Lindrop Attacked At Sydney’s Avalon While Surfing With Dad
A TEENAGE surfer mauled by a shark off Sydney’s northern beaches is recovering well in hospital after four hours of surgery on his leg.
Andrew Lindop, 15, was attacked by a shark, believed to be about 2m long, during an early morning surf with his father off North Avalon beach yesterday.
The 6.45am attack prompted renewed warnings about swimming and surfing at dawn or dusk, which are prime feeding times for sharks.
Local surfers said yesterday’s conditions had made an attack more likely. Warm waters and coastal rains had attracted large numbers of baitfish to the area, bringing predators with them, The Australian reported.
Marine experts are working to identify the species of shark responsible for the latest attack. Sydney’s Daily Telegraph reported it is believed to be a great white.
Andrew’s father Charles had just caught a wave when he heard Andrew scream as the shark bit deeply into his left thigh, its teeth penetrating to the bone.
He turned back to see Andrew thrashing about in the water and managed to get him to shore, where local off-duty surf club members helped care for him until paramedics arrived.
Andrew was rushed to Royal North Shore Hospital (RNSH) by helicopter, where he spent four hours on the operating table. It is the third attack in Sydney in as many weeks.
A hospital spokesman said Andrew was in a general ward and recovering well from surgery. “Doctors are very happy with the results,” he said. “He’s resting comfortably in a satisfactory condition.”
Club member Volker Klemm said the lifesavers grabbed first aid gear when they saw what was happening and raced across the beach in a buggy. “All the time we were talking to Andrew, how he was feeling.
“He was making even some funny jokes,” he said on ABC television.
Surf lifesaver Mike Stanley-Jones said Andrew’s father had already wrapped his son’s legrope around the wound to stop the bleeding when the lifesavers arrived to help.
He said Andrew’s mother was a lifesaving trainer and he and his dad were regulars at the beach. “There was no bleeding but the injuries were large,” he told Channel Seven this morning.
Mr Stanley-Jones said he had spoken to the family in the wake of the attack, which forced the closure of several beaches. “They are all in good spirits,” he said.
In earlier attacks, Navy clearance diver Paul de Gelder lost a hand and a leg and was lucky to survive after being mauled by a 2.7m bull shark off Garden Island in Sydney Harbour on February 11.
Just a day later, 33-year-old surfer Glenn Orgias was attacked by a 2.5m great white that shook him and nearly severed his left hand.
Patrols pointless:
Dr Stevens told The Daily Telegraph aerial patrols were pointless.
“Sharks are always there. Most of the time nothing happens,” he said.
Surfer Glenn Orgias, 33, and navy diver Paul de Gelder, 31, are recovering in St Vincent’s Hospital from injuries sustained in shark attacks.
Avalon Beach will be closed for 24 hours while nearby Newport, Bilgola, Bungan, Whale Beach and Palm Beach are closed until further notice.
Sharks Everywhere:
Mr Brown yesterday attacked the State Government for ignoring his warnings about large numbers of sharks off Sydney’s beaches.
“I am 42 years old and been passionate about sharks most of my life and I’ve never seen anything like the numbers we’ve been seeing this summer,” Mr Brown said.
“There are just fish everywhere and with them are sharks.”
The State Opposition and the Australian Aerial Patrol yesterday renewed calls for increased funding for regular aerial patrols, and to re-examine the use of shark nets.
NSW Premier Nathan Rees said he would consult about air patrols but the Government repeated its claim that warnings of a rise in shark numbers were “alarmist”.
“We have warned several times over the past few weeks people need to be cautious when swimming,” Primary Industries Minister Ian Macdonald said yesterday.
“All three of these recent attacks have happened around dawn or dusk when aerial patrols would have been no use whatsoever.
“Despite these attacks, there is no evidence to suggest an increase in shark numbers in waters off NSW.
“About six sharks a month are now caught on average in the nets off Sydney. But if we look back more than 70 years ago in the 1930s, for the first 18 months the nets were in operation we were catching an average of 88 sharks a month.”
CSIRO scientist and shark expert John Stevens confirmed there was no evidence that shark numbers had increased, and said fishermen’s claims were mischievous.
Article from: News.com.au
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April 12th, 2010 at 12:26 pm
I live in ireland and im always surfing and one day me and my mates decided to go to the peak in bundoran and we all agreed until we were swimmin out a boat pulled up to us and said to hop an and we didnt argue with the man and he brought us 30minutes away until he said look at this boys and it was a 12foot great white shark dead at the side of an island we were amused by it.