Simon Nellist: Shark that killed British swimmer off Sydney coast was ‘provoked’, researchers say
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA: The death of a man in Sydney due to a shark attack has now been listed as a “provoked incident.” On February 16, 2022, Simon Nellist from the UK was swimming at Buchan Point, near Little Bay, east of Sydney, when the 15-foot great white beast mauled him to death. He breathed his last while being just 500ft from the shore.
The Cornwall native had been living in Australia with his fiancee Jessie when the incident happened. Also, at the time, he was reportedly preparing himself for a charity swim event, called the Malabar Magic Ocean Swim. However, now, a report by the International Shark Attack File has stated that Nellist’s death was a “provoked incident.”
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‘We, therefore, consider it provoked for our purposes’
Gavin Naylor, director of the Florida Programme for Shark Research, has also clarified the reason behind the classification. The Daily Mail reported that Naylor in an email to the YouTube channel Shark Bytes said, “While Mr Nellist did nothing consciously to provoke an incident, he was swimming in an area where people were fishing. Fishing is an activity that draws sharks in. We, therefore, consider it provoked for our purposes.”
He added, “We are assiduous about focusing on unprovoked bites because we want to understand the natural behavior of the animals. Any factor that draws sharks to an area (fishing, chumming, scalloping, etc) or behavior that goads the shark, riding them, petting them, feeding them (you might be surprised what people do!) are thought to induce behaviors that are not typical.”
‘They can be intimidated by things bigger than them’
Besides, Robert Harcourt, an honorary professor of marine ecology at Macquarie University, shared his thoughts on Nellist’s death. He told the Mail, “Most sharks are actually reasonably cautious of taking anything that's a new type of prey. The Little Bay case (death of Mr Nellist) was a case of the shark coming in to predate. Sharks are like any animal living in the wild, they're curious and there are quite strong hierarchies when sharks interact. They can be intimidated by things bigger than them, seals and dolphins will chase great whites in numbers, and they'll mob them.”
This comes after the former RAF gunner's loved ones remembered him as “a gentle, kind and wonderful human being” after his death. His family had shared, “Simon had a great passion for nature and the sea, as well as being a very talented photographer. Simon was a gentle, kind and wonderful human being. He was a cherished fiancee, son, brother, uncle and friend. Simon was funny, compassionate and always had time for people. He had a rare gift of instantly being able to connect with others, gaining their trust and respect.”
At the time, his 62-year-old aunt Jacqui Seager added, “I don't think Simon would want the shark to be killed. He loved nature. He swam with sharks before. This isn't the first time he's gone out and seen them but he would still go out swimming. That's brave. I don't think he ever thought they would hurt him. Sadly, this time it managed to get to him.”
