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Coroner: Shark deterrent wouldn't have saved Kiwi surfer Steven Payne

Coroner: Shark deterrent wouldn't have saved Kiwi surfer Steven Payne

NZ Herald6 hours ago
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An inquest into the death of a Kiwi man attacked in by a shark at an Australian beach has heard a deterrent device would not have saved his life.
The inquest into the death of Steven Jeffrey Payne, 37, who was killed by a great white shark while surfing at Wharton Beach in March, has now finished.
ABC News reports a 3-metre shark was seen circling Payne just before the attack, which occurred about midday.
'The water was clear and smooth and everything seemed calm when, without warning, a large great white shark appeared in the water behind Steve and attacked him.'
The inquest revealed he was not wearing a shark deterrence device at the time of the attack.
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Shark deterrent device 'unlikely' to have saved Kiwi surfer killed in WA
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A coronial inquest held into the death of a Kiwi-born surfer fatally mauled by a shark earlier this year has found it is "very unlikely" a repellent device would have prevented the attack. Steven Payne, 37, was attacked by a great white shark at the remote Wharton beach, east of Esperance in Western Australia on March 10. Drone footage from a witness of the attack showed a shark swimming away from a large cloud of blood close to the shore, and a surfboard with bite marks was recovered from the water. In July, some details of his death were revealed at a mandatory coronial inquest, including that the couple had previously been cautious about shark activity, but Payne had decided not to wear his deterrent device on this occasion. In her findings, Acting State Coroner Sarah Linton said the device Payne owned was "not one of the devices that the Western Australian Government subsidises". ADVERTISEMENT The morning's headlines in 90 seconds, including our first ever espionage trial, the end of an era for Cook Strait crossings, and a surprising survival story. (Source: 1News) She said "even if Steve had been wearing his device or another similar device, it is unlikely to have made any difference to the outcome". "In the circumstances of this attack, where it appears the shark attacked at high speed from some distance (a natural predatory behaviour for great white sharks), I understand it is very unlikely any device would be effective to prevent the attack," she said. She noted that both Steve and his partner Catherine "understood the particular risks in surfing in South Australia, but perhaps were less keenly aware that those same risks were present in Esperance." "However, I understand that Steve was aware generally that there is always a low risk of shark attack when out surfing in the ocean off the Australian coastline. He was willing to assume that risk to have the joy of doing what he loved," Linton said in her report. Linton said she hoped it was a "very small comfort to Catherine and Steve's family that he died almost instantaneously" as a result of his injuries.

Coroner: Shark deterrent wouldn't have saved Kiwi surfer Steven Payne
Coroner: Shark deterrent wouldn't have saved Kiwi surfer Steven Payne

NZ Herald

time6 hours ago

  • NZ Herald

Coroner: Shark deterrent wouldn't have saved Kiwi surfer Steven Payne

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech. An inquest into the death of a Kiwi man attacked in by a shark at an Australian beach has heard a deterrent device would not have saved his life. The inquest into the death of Steven Jeffrey Payne, 37, who was killed by a great white shark while surfing at Wharton Beach in March, has now finished. ABC News reports a 3-metre shark was seen circling Payne just before the attack, which occurred about midday. 'The water was clear and smooth and everything seemed calm when, without warning, a large great white shark appeared in the water behind Steve and attacked him.' The inquest revealed he was not wearing a shark deterrence device at the time of the attack.

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