Fears of shark attacks prompt organizers of elite surf competition to cancel event
The tour's co-leader, Brazilian Italo Ferriera, took to Instagram on Tuesday to express his fears about being in the water, writing in Portuguese that he did not feel comfortable t
An elite global surfing championship in west Australia was cancelled Wednesday after two shark attacks near the event, organisers said.
The world's top male and female surfers had been taking part in the 12-day Margaret River Pro, which is part of the World Surf League Championship Tour, off Australia's southwest coast since April 11.
The contest was briefly suspended on Monday morning after a local surfer suffered leg injuries in a shark attack off nearby Gracetown, some 260 kilometres (160 miles) south of the Western Australia state capital Perth.
A second surfer, reportedly from Denmark, suffered a gash to his leg in a second shark encounter, also near Gracetown.