Warnings issued after man hospitalized following suspected shark attack
GREATER GERALDTON, AUSTRALIA: A man reportedly had to be rushed to a hospital after a suspected shark attack off the coast of Western Australia. Authorities were alerted to a possible incident of shark bite at Lucy's Beach in the city of Greater Geraldton, north of Perth, at about 7.30 am on Sunday, April 23. A man in his 30s is said to have been attacked.
The incident is now being investigated by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD). The DPIRD has urged the public to pay attention to warnings or beach closures in the area. "Take additional caution in the Greenough area," DPIRD has warned.
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It also said, "Adhere to beach closures advised by Local Government Rangers, Parks and Wildlife Service officers or Surf Life Saving WA," adding, "Use your Sea Sense and stay informed by checking for shark activity on the SharkSmart website, SharkSmart WA app or Surf Life Saving WA’s Twitter feed."
An increase in shark sightings
Over the summer, Australia has witnessed an increase in shark sightings. In an attempt to reduce risk, there are as many as seven shark barriers in Western Australia at present. However, it is believed that one of these wasn't in place when the recent suspected attack took place.
A Perth teenager was killed by a bull shark while swimming in the Swan River in February. 16-year-old Stella Berry leaped into the water to swim with dolphins when the incident took place. The incident was the first fatal one in the area in more than a century.
Man describes ordeal after being bitten by a shark twice
In March, a man described his ordeal after he was bitten twice by a shark and had to wait for hours for help on a remote island chain. Adam Norton described the shark attack as a "freak event," recalling how he was on a fishing trip with his brother and friends off Western Australia's Pilbara Coast on March 23 when the incident took place.
It was evening when they pulled in close to the Montebello Islands, which are about 130 km from the WA mainland. "It was about 6 pm - I was just cleaning the boat, heading back in the shore to grab some beers and head back out, and that's when I got bitten," Norton told radio 6PR Breakfast. Norton was first bitten in waist-high waters. However, the two-and-a-half or three-meter nurse or lemon shark returned to attack him again, biting his foot this time. "It was about waist deep, the first initial bite was just below the knee, I started to run, it came back around and got me again," Norton said. "Initially, the adrenaline got me up the beach, and then I didn't really feel anything."
"I could definitely see I wasn't in great shape the guys I was with are all emergency response trained, so they put a tourniquet on my leg and bandaged it - when you sit there for a bit you sort of start to panic but they kept me pretty calm," he added. About three hours later, a Santos oil and gas vessel picked Norton up.
