Australian authorities are on the hunt for a great white shark, after the animal killed a surfer in an attack that was streamed live online by cameras facing the surf.
The death of surfer Tadashi Nakahara at Ballina yesterday was the second fatal shark attack on the north coast in five months, according to News.Com.Au . The incident was displayed worldwide on the live stream of the Coastalwatch website, which features cameras focused on many of Australia’s top surf spots. Two videos of the attack reportedly exist, and police were examining them in order to identify the shark, believed to be a large great white, that is thought to be responsible.
Dozens of rescue crews are scouring the north coast for any sign of the shark, which attacked Nakahara off Shelly Beach just before 10 a.m. local time on Monday. Other surfers in the water reported seeing the shadow of a large white shark, which they estimated to be around four-meters-long. Nakahara was sitting on his surfboard when the great white attacked, severing portions of both of his legs, as the Inquisitr recently reported.
Pictured: Japanese surfer who died after an attack by a Great White 10m from shore http://t.co/eBxT1ZlwME pic.twitter.com/UkJWqEhmze
— Daily Mail Australia (@DailyMailAU) February 9, 2015
Police have established a crime scene at Shelly Beach and are preparing a report for the coroner. Their efforts, examining the area and the videos that depict the shark attack, will be focused on identifying the animal as a great white and locating it, according to Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay.
“We are now concentrating on searching the area and seeing if we can locate that shark and any remains,” he said. “We will seek scientific advice [on what kind of shark it was].”
A grouchy great white makes his presence known by trying to flip the film crew’s boat! Watch: http://t.co/ojU2KJtFsf pic.twitter.com/eGubgFkjnW
— Smithsonian Channel (@SmithsonianChan) February 8, 2015
Scientific advice will allow authorities to determine how much of a risk the shark poses to swimmers and whether the great white was involved in a non-fatal attack that occurred on Sunday, roughly 25 kilometers away from Shelly Beach. Jabez Reitman, 35, was left with severe lacerations to his back and shoulder after a large shark struck his board, throwing him into the water.
Amid controversial policies toward great whites in Australia, Ironman and Olympian Ky Hurst reached out on social media to warn against using the dual attacks as the basis for a cull, according to Stuff.Co.Nz .
“It’s tragic there have been [two] attacks in the last day in NSW,” he said. “But understand that it’s [sharks’] back yard not ours. If people don’t like the thought of sharks or the possibility of being attacked then it’s very simple, stay out of the ocean.”
Surfers may have captured fatal shark attack at Ballina on video http://t.co/s0NT6C3LAT pic.twitter.com/aWcIKxHc1r
— The Daily Telegraph (@dailytelegraph) February 9, 2015
A biologist from the Department of Primary Industries is traveling to Ballina and will study the attack pattern to assist in definitively identifying the shark as a great white.
[Image via the Independent ]