Father-of-two surfer feared dead after board with shark bite marks found washed up on shore by swimmers
An Australian surfer is feared to have succumbed to a shark attack off the coast after a board with bite marks was found to have washed up the shore by swimmers. The tragic incident occurred at Kelp Beds beach near Wylie Bay, Western Australia, according to a report by The Sun. The identity of the victim hasn't been revealed so far. NCA NewsWire reports suggest that he was a father-of-two, well-known among the locals.
Paramedics were reportedly alerted just before 11 am on Friday, October 9. After a while, a surfboard was found afloat at the beach without any traces of the man who was riding it. Meanwhile, the police have stated that eight surfers had entered the water at the time of the brutal attack, but none of them were able to bring the victim to the shore with them.
Senior Sergeant Justin Taranski said, "The surfboard washed up nearby to where the attack occurred and with obvious signs of shark attack. The chances of survival are obviously pretty slim considering some of the accounts that have been provided to us." He further stated that one of the surfers who were present with the victim in the waters tried to get him out of there, but "was unable to do so".
The search for the shark bite victim involved jets skis and boats. Reports suggest that the search wrap up at sunset and resume on Saturday, October 10, morning with the addition of police divers.
Swimmers at the beach were alarmed on spotting a gigantic shark circling in the water off the Kelp Beds. One of them, Jess Gardiner, who was about a kilometer away at the time told 9 News, "My partner had seen what he thought was to be a shark behind me, about 50 to 100m away from me. He said it was anywhere between a 2 to 3m shark, panic set in. There was a fair few families and kids throughout the bay."
Meanwhile, the Shire of Esperance president Ian Mickel said in a statement to NCA NewsWire that the community was "saddened by the tragedy". He expressed further, “It’s extremely sad to hear there’s been a shark attack again. We’ve had a lot of attacks over the last seven years. It’s just really, really disappointing.”
David Swan, Esperance Ocean Safety and Support committee member, commenting on the latest shark attack said, "Our thoughts are with the family and close friends. Everyone’s in a bit of shock and feeling very sad."
Kelp Bed, which is a popular destination among surfers, is said to have witnessed multiple shark attacks. While a 17-year-old surfer called Laeticia Brouwer was fatally attacked on the leg while surfing with her father in April 2017, another surfer Sean Pollard was mauled to death at the same spot in 2014.
Most recently, pro-surfer Matt Wilkinson had a "close encounter" with a great white shark on the east coast on October 7. Drone footages reportedly show Wilkinson fighting the shark to avoid an attack only by a few inches.