Latest news with #BradRoss
2 hours ago
Shark takes bite out of surfboard
Australian surfer Brad Ross was surfing in Cabarita Beach when a 16-foot great white shark took a bite of his surfboard.
New York Post
21 hours ago
- New York Post
Surfer faces scary shark attack — and his board was left in two pieces: ‘It's quite a savage bite'
A surfer is lucky to be alive after a terrifying encounter with a massive great white shark off the coast of New South Wales left his surfboard in two pieces — and fellow beachgoers in shock. Brad Ross was surfing at unpatrolled Cabarita Beach around 7:30 a.m. on Monday, August 18, when the 16-foot shark struck, taking a massive bite out of his board, launching him in the air, Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. 3 Brad Ross was surfing at Cabarita Beach on Monday morning when a 16-foot shark took a massive bite out of his board, launching him in the air, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported. Facebook/Nicka Atkins Advertisement Miraculously, Ross escaped without a scratch. 'The man was sitting on his board and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt,' said local yoga teacher Kym Falvey, who witnessed the incident. 'The board just popped, like it exploded … It flew up in the air, and there was a man up on the rocks yelling, 'Oi, come in!'' Advertisement In a dramatic video shared online, Ross was seen scrambling to shore with his now-destroyed board, visibly shaken but physically unharmed. The surfboard, split in two, was missing a large, bite-shaped chunk of foam — a mark officials later confirmed came from a great white. 'It's quite a savage bite and large,' said Dave Rope from Surf Life Saving Far North Coast. He insisted Ross is 'very, very lucky,' adding, 'I'd be buying a lottery ticket if I were him.' 3 In a dramatic video shared online, Ross was seen scrambling to shore with his now-destroyed board, visibly shaken but physically unharmed. Facebook/Nicka Atkins The attack triggered an immediate response from Surf Life Saving NSW, police, and the Department of Primary Industries. Advertisement Lifeguards closed Cabarita Beach and nearby Norries Cove, posted warning signs, and deployed drones to monitor the area. 3 Lifeguards closed Cabarita Beach and nearby Norries Cove, posted warning signs, and deployed drones to monitor the area. 10 News According to the NSW government's SharkSmart App, a 16-foot great white was caught and released from a SMART drumline — fishing gear used to lure and capture large sharks typically deployed near popular swimming areas — off the same beach just hours after the incident. Two more lines were added as a precaution. Advertisement Kane Douglas, a friend of Ross who was paddling nearby, said the attack happened in an instant. 'The board exploded, one half went that way, the other half went that way, there was just whitewash and debris everywhere,' he recalled. Ross, though visibly stunned, remained surprisingly composed afterward. 'He was more upset about the board,' said surfboard maker Jason Jamesson, who shaped the damaged board. 'That board was glassed heavier than normal boards … it was a strong, heavy board and it just crushed through that in one chomp,' he said, adding that the strength of the bite is 'hard to comprehend.' The attack occurred in the same spot where a 16-year-old boy was seriously injured by a shark just two months ago, sparking renewed concerns about shark activity in the area during whale migration season. According to the University of Florida's International Shark Attack File, there were 47 confirmed incidents of unprovoked shark bites in 2024, with 28 of those happening at U.S. beaches. Just last week, a great white shark was spotted multiple times off the coastline of Scarborough, Maine.
The Independent
a day ago
- Sport
- The Independent
Shark tears huge bite-sized chunk out of surfer's board in terrifying close encounter
A shark took a huge bite out of a surfboard and snapped it in half during a close encounter with a surfer in Australia. Brad Ross had a narrow escape on Monday morning as he went for a surf at Cabarita Beach, which lies between Byron Bay and Gold Coast. The shark attacked close to Mr Ross' rear while he was sat on his board, eyewitness Kym Falvey told the Australian Broadcasting Company (ABC). Mr Ross was then launched from his board in the attack, emerging from the water with his board in two pieces. "The man was sitting on his board and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt,' the local yoga teacher told the broadcaster. "The board just popped, like it exploded, and it flew up in the air. By this time there was a man up on the rocks going, 'Oi, come in.'' "The last time the shark came right into the shallows, so the surfers in the water were saying: 'We didn't want to stop paddling until we got onto the dry sand.'' Local authorities said no one was injured in the attack but they closed the beach temporarily after Surf Life Saving New South Wales responded to the incident at around 7.30am local time and drone monitoring of the shark was launched. 'While we know that the surfer is 'rattled', we're very pleased that he got out of the water safely today,' Tweed Shire Council added. The local surfer was described as 'very, very lucky' by Surf Lifesaving Far North Coast's Dave Rope, who urged caution from fellow surfers. A five-metre long shark was caught and released from the SMART Drumline at Norries Headland, Cabarita Beach, at 9.52am, although the shark was later spotted by Dorsal Shark reports just after noon. Photos posted online showed the surfer on the beach with a large hole in his board. Professional surfer Kelly Slater, who has won the World Surf League 11 times, said of the incident: 'Incredible he's ok. Great example of why I fear open ocean swimming so much. Surfboards have saved quite a few surfers with that tiny barrier.' Just two months before, a 16-year-old boy was bitten by a shark at the same location.
Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
Terrifying moment 13ft great white shark pounces on surfer and slices board in half
Brad Ross is lucky to be alive after a 13ft great white shark pounced on him while surfing at Cabarita Beach in New South Wales on Monday morning This is the remarkable moment a surfer walks away unscathed after a terrifying 13ft shark breaks his surfboard in half. Brad Ross is lucky to be alive after the predator pounced on him while surfing at Cabarita Beach in New South Wales on Monday morning. In terrifying footage, Ross can be seen thrashing around in the sea before being submerged underneath. He managed to resurface and quickly head back to land after the great white narrowly avoided attacking him. Luckily, his surfboard was the only thing damaged after a huge chunk was bitten by the shark. Ross returned to the shore and showed shocked onlookers how the predator had broken his surfboard in half. It comes as a giant shark was spotted prowling a popular tourist as holidaymakers were forced to evacuate. Officials at Surf Live Saving said the beach had been closed following the shocking attack. A spokesperson said: "Just after 8am this morning the Surf Life Saving NSW State Operations Centre was alerted to an incident at the unpatrolled Cabarita Beach which was called in through Triple 0. "The surfer is unharmed. Australian Lifeguard Service lifeguards were tasked and immediately worked with Council to close the beach and put up signage to warn the public not to enter the water." It comes as a holidaymaker was airlifted to a US hospital on Sunday after he was savagely attacked by a shark while spearfishing in the Bahamas, according to authorities. The 63-year-old tourist from America was attacked shortly after 1pm local time near Big Grand Cay on the island of Abaco, as per a statement shared on the Royal Bahamas Police Force's Facebook page. The man sustained serious injuries and was initially taken to a local clinic before being airlifted. According to the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), there have been 34 unprovoked shark attacks in the Bahamas since 1580, equating to roughly one attack every 13 years. Although shark sightings can be relatively frequent in parts of the US and Caribbean, statistics show that the likelihood of being bitten is low. The US was the site of 28 of last year's shark attacks, spread across six states. Florida, known for its extensive coastline and warm waters, was the hotspot for half of all U.S. attacks, making human-shark encounters more frequent. Australia recorded nine shark bites last year, while 10 other countries or territories each reported one incident.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Yahoo
Surfer Escapes 'Savage' Shark Attack with Surfboard Bitten in Two: 'A Miracle No One Was Injured'
Brad Ross was surfing in New South Wales, Australia, when a great white shark took a large bite out of his board NEED TO KNOW A shark attacked surfer Brad Ross while he was surfing at Cabarita Beach in Australia on Monday, Aug. 18 Ross escaped the attack unscathed, but his surfboard was left in two pieces after being bitten by the shark, according to local media outlets The attack came weeks after a shark attacked a 16-year-old boy at the same beach, PEOPLE previously reported A surfer in Australia survived a shark attack unscathed — but the same can't be said about his surfboard. On Monday, Aug. 18, Brad Ross was surfing at Cabarita Beach in New South Wales, Australia, around 7:30 a.m.. when a great white shark took a large bite out of his board, according to The Sydney Morning Herald and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In a video shared on social media, Ross was seen splashing in the ocean near the shore amid the incident, per 10 News. He then left the water with his board two pieces and the equipment missing a large chunk of foam. The 5-meter shark has since been caught and released, according to the outlet. In footage, Ross appeared unharmed as he held up his surfboard in two piecess, per ABC and 'Lifeguards on the Far North Coast closed Cabarita Beach on the NSW Far North Coast today after a surfer's board was bitten on Monday morning, 18 August," a spokesperson from Surf Live Saving NSW told PEOPLE. They added, 'It comes less than two months after a boy was bitten by a shark at the same location.' 'Just after 8am this morning (Monday 18 August) the Surf Life Saving NSW State Operations Centre (SOC) was alerted to an incident at the unpatrolled Cabarita Beach which was called in through Triple 0,' a statement from the organization read. They continued, 'It's believed a surfer's board was bitten by a shark. The surfer is unharmed.' 'Australian Lifeguard Service lifeguards were tasked and immediately worked with Council to close the beach and put up signage to warn the public not to enter the water,' the statement added. 'SLSNSW UAV assets were used for the rest of the day to observe the beach as a safety precaution.' The incident was also attended to by NSW Police and the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD), according to ABC. In response to PEOPLE's request for comment, New South Wales Police said they had no oversight over the incident as it didn't result in a fatality. PEOPLE has contacted NSW Primary Industries and Regional Development for comment. Surf Lifesaving Far North Coast's Dave Rope spoke about how Ross was lucky to have escaped the attack. "Very, very lucky, I'd be going out and buying a lottery ticket today, I think, if I was them," Rope told ABC. "I would just say that it is a miracle that no one was injured physically from it." "It's quite a savage bite and large, it's split in two. There's no doubt that is probably from the force of the bite," he added. Local yoga teacher Kym Falvey also opened up about the incident after watching the event unfold. "The man was sitting on his board and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt," Falvey told ABC. "The board just popped, like it exploded, and it flew up in the air and by this time there was a man up on the rocks going, 'Oi, come in,' she added. She concluded, "The last time the shark came right into the shallows, so the surfers in the water were saying, 'We didn't want to stop paddling until we got onto the dry sand.' " Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. PEOPLE previously reported In June that a 16-year-old boy suffered serious injuries to his right arm, wrist and leg after being attacked by a shark at the same beach. Other surfers then pulled the boy to safety using a surfboard before he was rushed to the hospital. The beach was also closed after the attack, per Read the original article on People
