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New York Post
2 days 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.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Shark snaps surfboard in two: Surfer escapes unharmed; miraculous escape goes viral
Image Courtesy: AP A surfer had a close encounter with a 5-metre great white shark at Cabarita Beach on the New South Wales north coast Monday morning at 7:30am, when the shark bit through his surfboard, splitting it in two pieces. The incident occurred in waist-deep water, and while the surfer escaped unharmed, the shark was later caught and released from a smart drumline in the same area around 10:00 am. Local yoga teacher Kym Falvey witnessed the incident from the beach alongside other onlookers. "The man was sitting on his board, and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt. 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,'" Falvey told ABC News. Fellow surfer Kane Douglas was present during the incident and described the intense moment. "The board exploded, one half went that way, the other half went that way, there was just whitewash and debris everywhere. It all happened so fast, it still hasn't really processed... what happened and how quickly. You grow up surfing, you think about sharks and they are out there but to see one so big this close in is pretty rare. It was such a big shark, when you see the footage of it, it's like something you'd see in South Australia." The surfer managed to reach the shore safely, though witnesses noted his initial reaction. "He was super chilled, [but] he was just super upset because he really loved his board and now it is broken. He said he felt [the shark] hit him hard on the back of his leg, but he was in waist-deep water so he was literally on the sand before he knew it," Falvey recounted. Dave Rope from Surf Lifesaving Far North Coast confirmed the closure of the main beach at Cabarita and nearby Norries Cove as a safety precaution. "Very, very lucky, I'd be going out and buying a lottery ticket today, I think, if I was them. 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. " Gold Coast surfboard maker Jason Jamesson, who crafted the damaged board, spoke about the remarkable force of the bite. "That board was glassed heavier than normal boards... it was a strong, heavy board and it just crushed through that in one chomp. Apparently it bit it and spat it out in, like, a second; didn't even shake or anything, just chomped right through it." The NSW government's SharkSmart App reported the great white shark was relocated approximately one kilometer offshore after being caught on the smart drum line. According to the SharkSmart website, relocated target sharks typically move away from the area for several months before resuming their natural migration patterns. This incident follows a previous shark bite involving a 16-year-old boy in the same area in late June. The NSW Police have confirmed they are investigating the incident, while local resident Kym Falvey noted the timing coincides with whale season. "People are realising that we are sharing [the water] with these animals. It is whale season and the sharks are more prevalent everywhere and we are just part of that."
