Man bitten by shark in Coral Bay (WA, AUS whilst snorkelling)

[diver257a]

Please refer Coral Bay shark attack for the following report:

A 26-year-old man has been bitten by a three-metre tiger shark in Western Australia's north-west. Sergeant Graham Clifford said the man had been snorkelling at The Lagoon, north of Coral Bay, about 2pm when he was bitten to the right forearm. He said the man suffered tendon damage but his injury was not considered life-threatening. The man was a tour operator, according to police. Sunny Rayudu, who works in Coral Bay, told PerthNow that the man was giving a snorkelling tour to a group of couples at the time of the attack. "We haven't had an attack here in 10 or 15 years and it just happened out of the blue. Everyone is very shocked," he said.

"He is a good guy, and he's very experienced. "Royal Flying Doctor Service spokeswoman Joanne Hill said a crew was flying from Port Hedland to Coral Bay to pick up the man."A RFDS doctor is yet to assess the patient but he is believed to have a bite mark to his arm," she said."The injury is not life threatening and he is believed to be in a stable condition. "The man is likely to be flown to Perth for further treatment. Yvonne Kowald, who had been up to Coral Bay to visit her grandchildren for the Christmas holidays, said she saw a three-metre tiger shark at Mauds Landing at the heart of Coral Bay on January 2.

"It was really big and you know how Mauds Landing goes out really shallow, only about five feet, and the drops into a really deep trough and he was right in there," she said."He trawled up and down a couple of times before he went back out. "She said they had been beach fishing for about half an hour when they spotted the shark come in. "Some of the guys threw out the bigger fish and he came up and looked at it but then kept going," she said."You could see the shape and size of him it was that close. Just amazing. "Tiger sharks are listed among the most aggressive sharks towards humans and have been responsible for fatalities in Australia before.

An Exmouth diving tour operator, who did not wish to be named, said he was concerned about the reporting of shark attacks having a detrimental impact on local operators since tourism was already struggling.Another operator said he highly doubted it would be a tiger shark claiming it was more likely to be a reef shark since there were thousands in the area.Meanwhile surf lifesavers have spotted a three-metre shark about 200 metres off Scarborough Beach.The lifesaver's helicopter has reported that the shark was tracking in northerly direction. Beachgoers have been warned about the sighting.

Read more: Coral Bay shark attack


P.S. it has been a busy week down here in OZ!

[Maples]

We are currently here in coral bay. I haven't heard confirmation on species yet. He was leading a group of snorkellers, apparently looked up and saw the shark coming towards him and put his arm up in front of his head to protect himself. He calmly gathered the group of snorkellers together and asked them to get back on the boat before reboarding himself. A passenger who was a nurse rendered first aid. Please understand this is all hearsay as we were on a different boat and only heard the radio chatter and subsequent town gossip.

[AfterDark]

We are currently here in coral bay. I haven't heard confirmation on species yet. He was leading a group of snorkellers, apparently looked up and saw the shark coming towards him and put his arm up in front of his head to protect himself. He calmly gathered the group of snorkellers together and asked them to get back on the boat before reboarding himself. A passenger who was a nurse rendered first aid. Please understand this is all hearsay as we were on a different boat and only heard the radio chatter and subsequent town gossip.

He's already ahead of the Itailan cruise ship captain! That's why they are called wildlife. Glad he's ok.