Australian authorities are taking no half measures after a human was bitten to death by a great white shark off the coast of Sydney on Wednesday for the first time in nearly six decades. After the incident, authorities closed several beaches in Australia’s largest city, according to international news agencies. The world famous Bondi Beach is closed for the time being. A bait buoy system was also installed at the site of the attack and authorities searched for the great white shark, an endangered species in Australia, using drones, jet skis and police boats.
A three-foot shark attacked a swimmer at Little Bay Beach south of Sydney on Wednesday. An eyewitness who was fishing tells the Australian medium 9 News that the shark attacked its victim “vertically.” “We heard a scream and it looked like a car had fallen into the water.” After a big splash, he saw the shark and parts of the victim’s body. “It was horrible.”
Ambulance officers could do nothing more for the victim. An ambulance spokesman told Reuters news agency of “catastrophic injuries”.
The victim is a thirty-five-year-old British diving instructor Simon Nellist, a friend of his confirmed. Police have not yet formally identified the victim. Nellist was supposed to participate in the Malabar Magic Ocean Swim† The organization has decided to cancel the competition out of respect for the relatives.
Sharks are more likely to inflict human casualties in Australia, but the last time that happened near Sydney was in 1963. Most attacks occur in the summer when beachgoers make their way over 15,000 miles as beachgoers flock to shore. In 2021, Australian authorities registered 12 shark attacks on humans, with three fatalities. According to ocean researchers the number of fatalities is increasing of sharks, partly because of the warming of the oceans, which means that sharks have to look for their food closer to the coast.