The north coast of New South Wales is definitely copping a battering when it comes to shark attacks. Well, it’s happened again: a man is currently in Byron Bay Hospital after being bitten. This’ll be the seventh attack in the Ballina-Byron area since the beginning of last year, and the third in a month.
According to the cops, the encounter was at Broken Head, and the man in question checked himself into hospital at approximately 7:30am this morning. The 36-year-old’s injuries are not life-threatening, and he was described as “conscious and breathing”, though likely “in shock”.
A fellow surfer posted a photo to Facebook of the man’s bandaged leg – and by the looks of it things could have ended up a lot worse than they did:
Surf Life Saving NSW has confirmed that all beaches across Byron Bay have been closed until Tuesday morning. They confirmed the incident in a statement. “It is believed that the shark emerged from under the man while he was waiting for a wave. The man’s surfboard took the brunt of the impact.“
Aaron Hoffman, the surfer from the above post, told the Sydney Morning Herald that most people in the area who are frequently in and around the water – like surfers and fishers – are very keen on shark nets. “I would probably prefer a targeted cull [of sharks],” he said. “It’s been pretty ridiculous.”
This contrasts with the views of animal activists, who believe that shark nets are cruel and don’t actually do much to protect surfers. However, proponents argue that “only one death from a shark bite has occurred at a netted beach since they were introduced in 1937″.
Source: Sydney Morning Herald.
Photo: Facebook.
