Boneyards Shark Attack
Monday, 05 September 2011 17:53
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From news.com.au (story first reported perthnow.com.au):
DARK seas, whales and seals had created "perfect shark conditions" when a 21-year-old bodyboarder was bitten in half and instantly killed by a suspected great white at a West Australian surf break.
Kyle James Burden was attacked while bodyboarding at around 1pm (WST) yesterday at Bunker Bay, about 300km south of Perth.
Police said he died at the scene after the shark bit a large part of his lower body.
Mr Burden's mother was flying to WA from Queensland today.
Mr Burden had been living in the Dunsborough area for the past four years. He was taken by the shark while surfing at nearby Boneyards in Bunker Bay, 255km south of Perth, yesterday.
Surfers had seen several great whites in the area recently, which had possibly been lured by pods of whales passing Cape Naturaliste. A colony of seals also lives about 800m from the surf spot.
Last night, police had not released the man's name but were trying to contact his next of kin. They said he also had a girlfriend.
He had been in the water with a friend and three other surfers when the shark struck at about 1pm. "Out of nowhere it would appear the young fella was taken," Sergeant Craig Anderson said.
There was no hope
"Nobody actually saw the shark itself, but they've observed the young fella's body in among some blood. His mate and somebody else who was surfing with him have brought the body to shore."
He was dead before he arrived at the beach. The shark had bitten off the lower part of his body, police said.
A local woman, who did not want to be named, was walking down the beach with her husband and two children when they saw two surfers running towards them. They were screaming at other surfers to get out of the water. "They said he was cut in half and there was just no hope, that he was already dead," the woman said.
"And even up the beach you could see red, but we don't know if it was his surf board or blood. These guys were in shock as well. They handled it really well, they were just getting everyone else out of the water."
Sergeant Anderson praised the deceased man's friend for his bravery. "I spoke to his mum this afternoon, so she's aware that her son was quite heroic in his action.
"This morning you could have described it as perfect shark conditions; dark and gloomy waters, overcast skies, light rain falling, whale action early on in the morning in the bay, seals about."
Calls for protection
The latest death has led to calls for drum lines to be placed in water to protect surfers.
Surfrider Foundation spokesperson Brad Farmer said the lines, used in Queensland comprise of a buoy, line and mullet - to avoid catching turtles, stingrays and sunfish.
"It basically targets large, rogue sharks that cruise the coast," he said. "They go for the bait, rather than the surfer."
"Surfers are in favour of protection of (shark) species, but we've got to have a balance here and clearly the number of shark attacks in WA is on the increase."
The man's body was taken to Busselton hospital, where a post mortem will be conducted. Surfer Barnaby Mills said there had been a lot of sharks around lately.
"We've seen a lot of big sharks lately, we go out on the jet ski and tow-in a lot," Mr Mills said.
"We've seen great whites, five metres long. Maybe it's the whales; a local fisherman told me there were big whales out there this morning. They were probably following them."
So where do you stand - is it us or them that needs protecting?
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Comments
Never be forgotten Kyle...R.I.P
Thoughts go out to family and friends.
http://www.facebook.com/pages/RIP-Kyle-James-Burden/151674604920052?ref=ts&sk=wall
the booger community is crying.
We go out into their environment, we can't expect 100% safety.
And if you get taken by a shark, so be it. It was your turn to go, and at least you are doing something you love (bodyboarding, surfing, swimming, diving, whatever).
And how many people get taken a year? Glad you asked.
In the last 213 years, there have been 190 fatal attacks. Now for all you less-than-average-intelligence beings, that is less than 1 a year. (http://adl.brs.gov.au/brsShop/data/12984_attacks_sharks.pdf)
Let it be.