Global Shark Attacks 2012
- Shark Attacks 2013
This is a list of all shark attacks that took place globally in 2013. Shark attacks are so rare, they make the news. The number of people fatally wounded by sharks annually is very, very small, considering how many million of us take to the water in
This is a comprehensive list of all shark attacks worldwide in the year 2012, written as they happened.
Many sharks have become a critically endangered species, and more must be done to protect them to prevent their total annihilation in our lifetimes.
Sharks do not come on land to attack us. If we want to venture into their environment, then we take the risk of being attacked by sharks.
Most if not all shark attacks are accidental in the sense that sharks thought we were food, without realising that we were not, in fact, seals or some other palatable delicacy.
One bite is usually all they take, before they realise their mistake. We have too many bones and a distinct lack of blubber.
Unfortunately, that one bite can be enough to kill us.
There has always been a morbid curiosity about sharks and shark attacks of which fatalities actually increased world-wide in 2011.
The reasons for this are widespread and complex, but may include:
- Overfishing of the shark's natural prey, leaving a shortage.
- Hungry sharks are moving into cooler waters where previously they had not been seen, and in 2011 attacked two people in north east Russia in waters that had never previously recorded a shark attack.
- Global warming. Myth or not, if it is exists, that could explain the odd movement of sharks into cooler waters.
Year
| Reported Shark Attacks
| Fatal
|
|---|---|---|
2012
| 75
| 9
|
2011
| 67
| 13
|
2010
| 79
| 6
|
2009
| 63
| 6
|
2008
| 53
| 4
|
December 2012 shark attacks
On the 2nd of November, a 31 year old man suffered a minor puncture wound to his knee by a sandtiger shark while spearfishing at Green Island, New South Wales, Australia.
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On the 5th of December, a 61 year old man known only as "Lorrin" suffered lacerations to his left foot when attacked by a 10' shark while surfing off Kauai, Hawaii.
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*FATAL* On the 25th of December, 20 year old Liya Sibili was taken by a large tiger shark while swimming at Port St. John's, Eastern Cape Province, South Africa.
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On the 28th of December, 29 year old Luke Allen suffered injuries to his thigh and hand when he was attacked by a 2m (6.5') bull shark while paddleboarding off Kylie's Beach, Diamond Head, New South Wales, Australia.
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On the 30th of December, 23 year old surfer Danny Sheather had a lucky escape when a 2.5m (8ft) shark took a bite out of his board between Dee Why and Long Reef, New South Wales, Australia.
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On the 31st of December, a man suffered bites to his lower leg while swimming of Jensen Beach, Martin County, Florida.
November shark attacks
On the 4th of November, 2012, a 43 year old make surfer had his surfboard bitten by an 8' tiger shark at Davidson's Surf Break, Kekaha, Kaua'i, Hawaii.
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Also on the 4th of November, 30 year old Mark Riglos suffered bites to his lower leg and right foot when he was attacked by a 15' tiger shark while diving at Makena Landing, Maui, Hawaii.
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On the 19th of November, 14 year old Kai Rittgers suffered minor lacerations to his left foot and heel when he was attacked by a 2' - 3' shark while surfing at Melbourne Beach, Brevard County, Florida.
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*FATAL* On the 22nd of November, 32 year old Fernando Cardenas Garcia was fatally injured when he was attacked by a 2.5m (8ft) shark while swimming at Nuevo Altata, Sinaloa, Mexico.
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On the 30th of November, 2012, 61 year old Thomas Floyd Kennedy suffered lacerations to his left thigh and lower leg when attacked by a 10' tiger shark while snorkeling at Kihei, Maui, Hawaii.
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A 38 year old surfer has died after being attacked by a shark off Surf Beach, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California.
The incident happened on the morning of October 23rd, 2012, and was witnessed by a friend of the victim, who rushed to his aid and pulled him out of the water.
This is the first fatal shark attack in the US in two years.
The victim has been named as Francisco Javier Solorio Jr., of Orcutt, California.
October shark attacks
On the 2nd of October, 2012, 11 year old Martin Gavriliu luckily suffered no injuries, but had his swim fin bitten and torn by a 2m (6.5') shark while bodyboarding at Mullaloo Beach, Perth, Western Australia.
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On October 10th, 42 year old Gunner Proppe had a lucky escape when a shark attacked his board while windsurfing at Davenport Landing, Santa Cruz County, California.
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On the 11th of October, 2012, 38 year old Mrs. Torugbene-Ere Aboh suffered lacerations to her right leg when attacked by a shark at Oboro, Delta, Nigeria.
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On the 16th of October, 2012, a man suffered lacerations to his toe in Hobe Sound, Florida. Shark involvement has not been confirmed.
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On the 18th of October, 2012, 55 year old David Peterson had a narrow escape when a 6' - 8' shark bit his board while he was body-boarding at Kanaha Beach, Maui, Hawaii.
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On the 18th of October, a 24 year old man suffered a minor shark bite to his ankle at Volusia County, Florida.
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*FATAL* On the 23rd of October, 39 year old Francisco Javier Solorio Jr. was attacked and killed by a 15' -16' great white shark, at Surf Beach, Lompoc, Santa Barbara County, California.
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A Californian woman was bitten by a shark while snorkeling off Makena Landing Beach Park on Maui, Hawaii on the 27th October, 2012.
The shark, believed to be a great white, bit her inner thigh and hand as she fought it off.
Two other women, Jane Gair and Janice Speller, witnesses the horrifying incident from the safety of a nearby rocky outcrop.
Both women had been snorkeling in the coral reefs when one of them came face to face with the shark. They both quickly left the water and tried to warn other people who were still in the water.
Unfortunately, their warning calls went unheard, and the 51 year old woman was attacked in front of her husband, who was able to help her out of the water, bleeding badly.
She was taken to Maui Memorial Medical Center in Hawaii.
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On the 30th of October, 25 year old Scott Stephens suffered multiple lacerations to his torso when he was attacked by a great white shark while surfing at Humboldt Bay, Eureka, Humboldt County, California.
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Map of September 2012 Florida shark attacks
2nd September, 2012
6th September, 2012
8th September
1. 8th September, 2012 2. 16th September, 2012
September 2012 shark attacks
On the 2nd of September, at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, USA, a 56 year old woman suffered a bite to her ankle while boogie-boarding at 4.30pm.
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On the 2nd of September, at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida, USA, an 8 year old girl suffered bite wounds to her hand and leg at 6.30pm.
A 3.5' - 4' shark is suspected in both cases, probably the same one.
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On the 4th of September, a 32 year old man suffered bite wounds to his hand while surfing at Melbourne Beach, Brevard County, Florida, USA.
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On the 6th of September, 37 year old Andrew Birchall suffered bites to is left foot while surfing at St. Augustine Beach, St. John's County, Florida, USA.
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On the 6th of September, surfer James Fyfe had his right leg bitten at Neptune Beach, Duval County, Florida, USA.
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On the 8th of September, a man had his right leg bitten while swimming at South Beach, Miami-Dade County, Florida, USA.
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On the 8th of September, surfer Matthew Fowler had his foot bitten at Cocoa Beach, Brevard County, Florida, USA.
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On the 10th of September, 2012, 29 year old Kylie Maguire suffered serious injuries to her thigh and buttocks after being mauled by a 3m bull shark while swimming at Eueiki Island, Vava'u, Tonga.
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On the 16th of September, a 52 year old male surfer also suffered a foot bite at Cocoa Beach, Brevard County, Florida, USA.
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On the 24th of September, 22 year old Brandon Murray had his left foot bitten by a 4' shark while surfing at Spanish House Beach, Brevard County, Florida.
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On the 25th of September, 21 year old Brandon Taylor suffered lacerations to his forearm from a 5' shark, while surfing at Melbourne Beach, Brevard County, Florida.
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Reunion Island
August 2012 shark attacks
On the 6th of August, Fabien Bujon, 39, lost both a hand and a foot when he was attacked by a bull shark while surfing off the west coast of French Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean.
The man, who is expected to survive, had ignored warnings not to enter the water at dusk which is one of the most dangerous times to swim in shark infested waters, as sharks tend to feed at dusk and dawn.
This attack came just 12 days after 22 year old Frenchman Alexandre Rassica lost his life to a bull shark, in the same area.
In the days before this latest attack, French authorities on Reunion Island had firstly offered to pay fishermen to hunt down and kill bull sharks, whose numbers are spiralling out of control, but later withdrew the offer after an outcry from ecologists and environmental groups.
Sharks are not protected in the waters off Reunion Island, but no-one wants to hunt down bull sharks because they have no commercial value.
For this reason, a financial incentive was needed, but this offer has been withdrawn with the promise that authorities will find ways to make the beaches safer.
Unfortunately, they cannot legislate against stupidity, and anyone entering shark-infested waters at sun-down increase their chance of attack exponentially.
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On the 8th of August, 2012, David Lowe Snr, aged 56, was bitten on the little finger of his left hand by a 4' - 5' lemon shark, while free diving in the waters off key Largo, Florida. USA.
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On the 15th of August, a male tourist from Germany suffered leg bites while swimming off Gulf Shores, Alabama, USA.
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On the 28th of August, 34 year old Jon Hines was seriously injured with lacerations to his torso and arms after being attacked by a shark while surfing at remote Red Bluff near Quobba Station, Western Australia.
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On the 31st of August, shark fishermen Hamish Currie, 53, narrowly escaped serious injury when the 7ft porbeagle shark he had hooked and landed, thrashed out and bit his shoe. The incident happened off the island of Islay in the Inner Hebrides, Scotland.
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July 2012 shark attacks
On the 6th of July, 29 year old Jacques Mostert was attacked by a 4.5m shark which circled and then attacked him as he was just finishing up a surfing session with friends at Sandstrand (Sand Beach), Jongensfontein, South Africa.
It first circled then bit him, as he was finishing his surf. His friends had already left the water, but quickly returned to pull him to safety.
He suffered severe lacerations to his left thigh and knee and was airlifted to hospital where he is expected to make a full recovery.
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On the 7th of July, a kayaker had a fortunate escape when an 18' great white shark took a bite out of his kayak as he was fishing in 40 feet deep water off Pleasure Point in Monterey Bay near Santa Cruz, California, USA.
The force of the bump threw the 52 year old Fremont man into the water where he was quickly rescued by a nearby boat.
It is the first reported shark attack in the area in several decades, if you could call it an attack. The shark may just have been inquisitive.
The man was thankfully uninjured.
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*FATAL* - On the 7th of July, 2012, 42 year old scuba diver Karen Lee went missing while diving at Ship's Graveyard off Point Lonsdale, Victoria, Australia. After a search over several days, her diving equipment was found, but with no trace of Ms Lee's body.
It is believed to have been taken by sharks, but it is unknown if they caused her death.
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Also on the 7th of July, 2012, spear-fisherman Sean Connelly suffered lacerations to his right thigh after he was attacked by a shark at Eleuthera in the Bahamas.
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On the 8th of July, 43 year old Tracey Fasick had her right calf and ankle bitten by a shark while swimming at North Topsail Beach, Onslow County, North Carolina, USA.
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*FATAL* - On the 14th of July, 2012, 24 year old Ben Linden was "bitten in half" by what witnesses describe as an "enormous great white (or pointer) shark, while surfing 200m off the coast of Wedge Island, in Western Australia, about 100km north of Perth.
A jet-skier went to his aid after the fatal attack, and tried to recover his remains from the water, but he circling shark then made to attack him too.
It then made off with the remains of Mr Linden, none of which have been recovered.
A search is now underway for the rogue shark.
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On the 19th of July, 23 year old Kaitlin Dakers suffered lacerations to two fingers while surfing off Tofino, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
A salmon shark is suspected but not confirmed.
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*FATAL* - On the 23rd of July, 22 year old Alexandre Rassica was surfing in the Indian Ocean off the French-owned island of Reunion when he was attacked by a shark.
He took his leg off as he was surfing 100m (330ft) from shore. Fellow surfers managed to drag him to the shore, but the blood loss and shock was too great.
Paramedics worked on him for more than an hour, to no avail.
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On the 30th of July, Chris Myers was body surfing with his teenage son at Ballston Beach, Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts, USA, when he was attacked by a shark.
The shark's dorsal fin was clearly seen by witnesses, but the type of shark has still to be confirmed. It is believed to be either a white pointer or a bull shark. Mr Myers is now recovering in Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. Both legs suffered severe but not life-threatening lacerations.
There has been an increase in the local seal population in the area, leading to a greater number of dangerous sharks in the area.
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On the 30th of July, Steve Stotts, 44, suffered a bite to his left foot while surfing off Maha‘ulepu Beach, Kauai, Hawaii, USA.
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On the 31st of July, 48 year old John Campion was bitten by what is reported to be a great white shark, while surfing at Streaky Bay, South Australia.
SA Ambulance service spokesperson said he had suffered significant lacerations to his upper arm and was suffering from the effects of significant blood loss. After being flown to Royal Adelaide Hospital, he is expected to make a full recovery.
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On the 31st of July, 17 year old Jared Tennison was surfing off Topanga Beach, Los Angeles County, California, USA, when a shark knocked his surfboard, throwing him into the water. Luckily, he suffered no injury.
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Chris Myers, shark attack victim Cape Cod
Australian shark attack 14 July 2012 *FATAL*
June 2012 shark attacks
On the 2nd of June, 25 year old Ryan Orellana-Maczynski suffered a severe laceration to his foot while boogie-boarding at Myrtle Beach, Horry County, South Carolina.
The type of shark is unknown.
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On the 18th of June, 6 year old Brooklyn Daniel suffered numerous puncture wounds to the leg while paddling at Ocean Isle, Brunswick County, North Carolina.
the type of shark was not reported.
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On 20th of June, 62 year old Martin Kane had a lucky escape when a 3m shark attacked his surf ski, causing it severe damage.
Luckily, Mr Kane was able to swim to safety and the shark left him untouched. This incident happened at Mullaloo Beach, Perth, Western Australia, an area known for its deadly shark attacks.
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On the 26th of June, 16 year old Sage St.Clair suffered lacerations to her left calf when she was attacked by a small reef shark while sitting in the water at Kahana Beach, Maui, Hawaii.
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On the 26th of June, a 26 year old had his left foot bitten while surfing at New Smyrna Beach, Volusia County, Florida.
The type of shark is unreported.
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On the 26th of June, 6 year old Nickolaus Bieber suffered a severe thigh bite while bathing with his father at Juno Beach, Palm Beach County, Florida.
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May 2012 Shark Attacks
On May 6th, 2012, a fifteen year old Californian girl had a lucky escape when a shark bit her board several times as she was paddleboarding with a group of others off the coast of Santa Catalina Island, L.A. County.
Despite her board suffering from severe damage, the girl was uninjured.
The shark encounter took place about 200 yards off shore, about a mile from Avalon, in the early morning incident.
The shark was later identified as a great white.
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A woman was bitten by a shark as she was swimming in the waters off Vero Beach, Indian River County, Florida, on the 9th of May, 2012.
47 year old Karin Ulrike Stei of Konstanz, Germany, was flown to Lawnwood Regional Medical Center & Heart Institute in Fort Pierce where she received treatment for the 12" laceration that went down to the bone ono her upper left thigh.
The type of shark responsible is unknown, but both bull and tiger sharks frequent the area.
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On May 16, 2012, 20 year old Tevita Naborisi suffered a nasty bite to the right side of his head while spearfishing with a crowd of others at Matacucu Reef near Taveuni, Fiji.
Sharks don't usually attack anyone while in a group, but the cousin of Mr Naborisi has reported that he had strayed 50 metres away from the group when the shark attacked.
It then attacked a second time but Mr Naborisi managed to fend it off before going for help.
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On May 23, a 4 - 5 foot lemon or bull shark attacked a young surfer off south Jacksonville Beach, Florida, in the US.
Chad Renfro, 22, suffered severe bites to his left foot and ankle, and was left with a ripped tendon, severed nerve and lost some bone, requiring 85 stitches inserted at the local hospital.
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On the 29th of May, 2012, 46 year old Benigno Medina Navarette had his left hand severed by a 3M bull shark while spearfishing in Boca de la Leña, La Unión, Guerrerro, Mexico.
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On the 31st of May, a shark attacked a woman who was searching for shells in shallow water with her 4 year old son on the beach at Hatteras Island village of Avon at the Outer Banks of North Carolina, USA.
33 year old Megan Konkler suffered a severe bite to her foot and ankle. It is reported that the 2 foot shark refused to let go and had to prised off.
She was attended by medics at nearby Avon Medical Center where 32 stitches were inserted.
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April 2012 shark attacks
On April 3rd, 2012, 28 year old Joshua Holley was bitten twice on the foot by a 10 foot tiger shark, while surfing off Oahu's North Shore, Honolulu.
The shark bit him and he fought it off with his surfboard, but it then bit him again.
He required minor surgery on his foot which was lacerated.
He was detained at Wahiawa General Hospital, Hawaii.
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On April 12th, 2012, Michael Demasi, 27, was kayaking in Dolphin Bay, South Australia, when his kayak was suddenly attacked from below by a great white shark. The shark's teeth penetrated Michael's thigh, but only just, causing minimal damage.
At first Michael had thought he had accidentally hit rocks, and jumped overboard to inspect the damage. At this point he noticed the shark, which then continued to attack the kayak, which luckily for him he was no longer in. He then swam safely to the shore with the help of his fellow kayaker, Elise Lavers, who witnessed the entire event.
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*FATAL* On April 19th, 20 year old champion surfer David Lilienfeld, was savaged by a great white shark while bodyboarding with his brother in the warm Indian Ocean waters of Koeel Bay, just east of Cape Town, South Africa.
The 16' shark bit his right leg off from the hip, causing devastating injuries. David died at the scene very quickly and his brother, Gustav, helped assist his body to nearby rocks, where it was recovered by the emergency service by air.
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Also on April 19th, 2012, 28 year old ocean engineering student Justin Ellingham was severely bitten on his left hand by a 5ft unidentified shark while surfing off Melbourne Beach in Florida's Space Coast.
His wound required emergency care at Holmes Regional Medical Center, and his fingers will require reconstructive surgery.
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March 2012 shark attacks
On March 4th, 2012, 19 year old Justin Worrall was bitten by a shark on the leg, twice, while kite-surfing off the coast of PlayaLinda Beach, Brevard Country, Florida.
He felt a tug on his leg, and then saw a shark's fin nearby.
He was taken by ambulance to hospital where his leg and foot required stitches.
This is the first US shark bite of 2012.
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On March14th, two teenagers were attacked by sharks in two separate areas off New Smyrna Beach in Volusia County, Florida.
Both had been surfing in waist deep waters.
Officials in the area believe that two separate sharks were responsible, as the attacks happened within minutes of each other in different areas.
15 year old Sidney Levy had her ankle bitten and was rushed to hospital and later released.
17 year old Nick Romano was bitten in the calf of his leg and 17 stitches were applied by paramedics who attended to him on the beach.
The shark/s responsible was described as being between 4' and 5' long, with a mouth a foot wide.
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On 15th March, 61 year old Frank A. Wacha Jr. was savaged by a 5' - 6' long bull shark near Jensen Beach, Martin County, Florida, while surfing.
His left arm was bitten multiple times, but his injuries were not thought to be life-threatening.
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On 20th March, 20 year old student, Billy O'Leary, was bitten by a shark at Nobby Beach, on Australia's Gold Coast.
Billy, who had been surfing 150 metres off-shore, was attacked by what is described as a small bull shark.
His lower left left suffered a deep wound, but the bleeding was stemmed by bristanetimes.com.au lifesavers who were on the scene within minutes. Their quick action may well have saved this young man's life. He was taken to Gold Coast Hospital where he is currently in a stable condition.
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*FATAL* - On 31st of March, 33 year old Peter Kurmann was killed by a 4m long shark while diving off Stratham Beach in South West Australia. His 34 year brother, who had been with him, assisted the crew of a nearby boat to recovered the badly mauled body, which was then taken south to Busselton, where experts are hopeful of being able to identify the type of shark involved by examining his wounds.
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Gosford, Australia, shark attack 2012
January 2012 Shark Attacks
January 3 - 28 year old Mike Wells was badly bitten in the arm by what is believed to be a 6' bronze whaler (copper shark), while surfing at Avoca beach, Gosford, Australia. The incident happened in the evening which is the worst time for shark attacks as this is during their feeding time. A tourniquet was needed to stop the bleeding, but he is expected to survive.
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January 18 - 44 year surfer, Glenn Folkard, was attacked by what is believed to be either a great white or a bull shark, at Redhead beach, Newcastle, Australia. The shark severely lacerated his thigh and buttocks. He is recovering in hospital.
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January 19 - 26 year old David Pickering was attacked by a 10' tiger shark while swimming off Coral bay Beach, north of Sidney, Australia. He suffered bite marks on his arm, but is expected to survive.
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Australia normally expect to have three shark attacks per year. Instead, it looks like a gloomy year ahead for Australian tourism with so many attacks happening so early in the year.
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January 15 - *FATAL* 25 year old Lungisani Msungubana was killed by a bull shark while bathing in warm, waist-deep waters off Second Beach in Port St John's, in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa.
By a macabre quirk of fate, his death comes exactly a year to the day since 16 year old Zama Ndamase was killed at the same spot while surfing.
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This brings the total number of shark attacks at Second Beach to six in six years, with every single one of them resulting in a fatality, making it the most dangerous beach to swim at in the world.
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*FATAL* Lungisani Msungubana
Comments
- AUTHOR
I've never really understood the fascination some people have with hunting sharks, but to be honest even if every single man in the area spent his time hunting down sharks, it would hardly make a dent in their population. The real problem really is the fishermen who fish sharks commercially because they remove thousands of sharks from the seas, mostly young sharks and that really does reduce their numbers because sharks reproduce so slowly. When it comes down to man versus sharks, I have to say that man is more important, to me anyway. It would be nice if someone could find a way to repel sharks so that surfers don't die needlessly.
One way might be shark belts or something made from dead sharks, and somehow kept fresh so that they smell. Research has shown that the slightest whiff of a dead shark is enough to repel sharks and keep them well away, and only a small tissue sample is needed, their olfactory senses are so strong.
:) When I was a young child there used to be sharks in the water at Camps Bay and Sea pot in Cape Town. The water is icy cold here. A life saver used to sit on a high seat- like a ladder- and shout 'shark' and everyone would get out of the water although we only just messed about on the shoreline. I can still recall those triangles sticking out in the water and they did come quite close!
Sharks are not only hunted by Asians for shark soup. It was a hectic sport to catch sharks in the Gordon's Bay - Strand area in particular and championships were held until sharks were declared a protected species.
People also hunt sharks for their jaws as trophies and in some instances the teeth are used in jewelry.
I is still a male ego thing to hunt sharks and guys that don't have boasts line the beach in the Milnerton area to watch for teeth that might wash up with the tide. The fishing boats in the area no doubt dump sharks and kill seals because dead seals wash up too and their skulls are always bashed in.
- AUTHOR
You raised some interesting points.
Massachusetts or any other state surely have plenty Chinese restaurants, all of whom sell sharks fin soup, so good reason for the ban.
On Second Beach all the lifeguards have been laid off (the town council has financial problems) and there is no-one to warn the tourists not to go in the water. And yes they are going in, in their 100s.
The increase in shark attacks has a direct bearing on not only increase in populations, but of more people taking up watersports.
The sea temperatures have not changed despite all the talk of global warming, and yet warm-water sharks are being found in cooler waters though no-one knows why,yet.
Izzy is fascinated by sharks, and I'm fascinated that she's fascinated with sharks. I want to write a hub about Izzy and the sharks! LOL! Kidding.
All I have to say about that one beach...er...second beach is "oh heck no I'm not getting in the water."
I might just have to enjoy the scenery of that one, or maybe try to catch crabs, or pry up mussels...but no thanks on the swimming.
I saw a petition about a ban on fin soup in some east coast state...probably Massachusetts - today on facebook. I might be surprised to find out..but I doubt there's much of a demand for fin soup in that state anyway.
It's totally bizarre how shark's could be in danger of become so rare, and that at the same time attacks on humans are increasing. I guess there's definitely the fact that there are more humans now than ever before for one thing...but the rest is sort of strange.
There's not the slightest bit of doubt in my mind about whether or not there is global warming, and that it's causing species to find homes where they've never even hung out before either.
- AUTHOR
Thanks John. It would be nice if this was a rare year and this hubs never needed added to, but judging by last year, sadly there will be a lot more entries in this hub to come.
Love this hub. I find sharks mysterious and exciting and voted up on your hub.
John
- AUTHOR
Fascinating stuff! Thanks :) I looked at your link and it is a beautiful place. I must look more at the shark problem, especially as you say they are on the move from their traditional haunts.
Port St. Johns is a sort of upper middle class/rich holiday resort. It's always been where people have vacation homes, etc. It's on the wild coast, in the Transkei. It's part of the Eastern Cape and close to Port Elizabeth where I grew up. The beaches are stunning. Shark attacks used to be predominantly Durban but are increasingly switching to Cape Town for about the last 15 years...
- AUTHOR
Funny you should mention that, because I read extensively about the boy who was killed, and how the authorities are undecided about whether or not to install shark nets round the beach because there is such a wide ranging public opinion that has sparked a huge debate. Frequently commenters to those forums or articles pointed to the cage diving and the chum feeding of sharks being responsible for a rise in inshore numbers of sharks who less fearful of humans due to their other close encounters underwater. Then there is talk of a river full of effluent streaming into this beach, which will definitely attract sharks. Seems tourism is an important industry in Port St John's. They may live to regret their non-action.
I grew up knowing about shark attacks in the warm waters of Durban (which is close to Port. St. Johns). Great Whites abound. Now they're in Cape Town (cold water) where, for the sake of eco tourism, they send down divers in cages, and then feed sharks horse meet in order to create a feeding frenzy. I think it's something Cape Tonians are going to live to regret.
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