A surfer had a close encounter with a 5-metre great white shark at Cabarita Beach on the New South Wales north coast Monday morning at 7:30am, when the shark bit through his surfboard, splitting it in two pieces. The incident occurred in waist-deep water, and while the surfer escaped unharmed, the shark was later caught and released from a smart drumline in the same area around 10:00 am.
Local yoga teacher Kym Falvey witnessed the incident from the beach alongside other onlookers. "The man was sitting on his board, and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt. The board just popped, like it exploded, and it flew up in the air and by this time there was a man up on the rocks going, 'Oi, come in,'" Falvey told ABC News.
Fellow surfer Kane Douglas was present during the incident and described the intense moment. "The board exploded, one half went that way, the other half went that way, there was just whitewash and debris everywhere. It all happened so fast, it still hasn't really processed... what happened and how quickly. You grow up surfing, you think about sharks and they are out there but to see one so big this close in is pretty rare. It was such a big shark, when you see the footage of it, it's like something you'd see in South Australia."
The surfer managed to reach the shore safely, though witnesses noted his initial reaction. "He was super chilled, [but] he was just super upset because he really loved his board and now it is broken. He said he felt [the shark] hit him hard on the back of his leg, but he was in waist-deep water so he was literally on the sand before he knew it," Falvey recounted.
Dave Rope from Surf Lifesaving Far North Coast confirmed the closure of the main beach at Cabarita and nearby Norries Cove as a safety precaution. "Very, very lucky, I'd be going out and buying a lottery ticket today, I think, if I was them. I would just say that it is a miracle that no-one was injured physically from it. It's quite a savage bite and large, it's split in two. There's no doubt that is probably from the force of the bite."
Gold Coast surfboard maker Jason Jamesson, who crafted the damaged board, spoke about the remarkable force of the bite. "That board was glassed heavier than normal boards... it was a strong, heavy board and it just crushed through that in one chomp. Apparently it bit it and spat it out in, like, a second; didn't even shake or anything, just chomped right through it."
The NSW government's SharkSmart App reported the great white shark was relocated approximately one kilometer offshore after being caught on the smart drum line. According to the SharkSmart website, relocated target sharks typically move away from the area for several months before resuming their natural migration patterns.
This incident follows a previous shark bite involving a 16-year-old boy in the same area in late June. The NSW Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident, while local resident Kym Falvey noted the timing coincides with whale season. "People are realising that we are sharing [the water] with these animals. It is whale season and the sharks are more prevalent everywhere and we are just part of that."
Local yoga teacher Kym Falvey witnessed the incident from the beach alongside other onlookers. "The man was sitting on his board, and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt. The board just popped, like it exploded, and it flew up in the air and by this time there was a man up on the rocks going, 'Oi, come in,'" Falvey told ABC News.
Fellow surfer Kane Douglas was present during the incident and described the intense moment. "The board exploded, one half went that way, the other half went that way, there was just whitewash and debris everywhere. It all happened so fast, it still hasn't really processed... what happened and how quickly. You grow up surfing, you think about sharks and they are out there but to see one so big this close in is pretty rare. It was such a big shark, when you see the footage of it, it's like something you'd see in South Australia."
The surfer managed to reach the shore safely, though witnesses noted his initial reaction. "He was super chilled, [but] he was just super upset because he really loved his board and now it is broken. He said he felt [the shark] hit him hard on the back of his leg, but he was in waist-deep water so he was literally on the sand before he knew it," Falvey recounted.
Dave Rope from Surf Lifesaving Far North Coast confirmed the closure of the main beach at Cabarita and nearby Norries Cove as a safety precaution. "Very, very lucky, I'd be going out and buying a lottery ticket today, I think, if I was them. I would just say that it is a miracle that no-one was injured physically from it. It's quite a savage bite and large, it's split in two. There's no doubt that is probably from the force of the bite."
Gold Coast surfboard maker Jason Jamesson, who crafted the damaged board, spoke about the remarkable force of the bite. "That board was glassed heavier than normal boards... it was a strong, heavy board and it just crushed through that in one chomp. Apparently it bit it and spat it out in, like, a second; didn't even shake or anything, just chomped right through it."
The NSW government's SharkSmart App reported the great white shark was relocated approximately one kilometer offshore after being caught on the smart drum line. According to the SharkSmart website, relocated target sharks typically move away from the area for several months before resuming their natural migration patterns.
This incident follows a previous shark bite involving a 16-year-old boy in the same area in late June. The NSW Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident, while local resident Kym Falvey noted the timing coincides with whale season. "People are realising that we are sharing [the water] with these animals. It is whale season and the sharks are more prevalent everywhere and we are just part of that."
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