A 10-year-old boy was airlifted to hospital after being attacked by a two-meter-long shark in a secluded swimming area.
The boy cried out for help as he snorkeled about 75 meters offshore with his father in Western Australia, said a tour guide who dragged him “bleeding to the bottom.” fund ”.
The boy’s father had to fend off the bronze whaler with his harpoon gun to make sure the shark no longer attacked his son, The West Australian reported.
The beach, about 1,100 km north of Perth, remains closed to swimmers due to continued shark activity at this popular spot.
This is the second such attack in several months.
The couple had been snorkelling at Five Fingers Reed, near Coral Bay, when the boy was bitten by the bronze whaler yesterday, leaving him with a six-inch-long laceration.
The attack occurred in a secluded swimming spot, accessible only by four-wheel drive, according to WA Today.
Warwick ‘Wokka’ Coles, 48, of Coastal Adventure Tours was at the reef when he heard the father cry out for help.
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Mr Coles said: ‘It wasn’t gushing out, but there was enough of it to leave a trail of blood behind me as I dragged it into the shallows. “
As he rescued the bloodied victim, the boy’s father stood guard with his harpoon gun to stop any further attacks.
As the boy received first aid and bandages were applied to stop the bleeding, an ambulance was called to the shore.
Mr Coles said the father was confused about the attack at first – and failed to realize the gravity of the situation.
The couple hadn’t actually caught any fish to get the predator’s attention in the first place.
The man “thought he [the boy] was just showing him the shark, but then he yelled “it bit me”. It was a pretty big open wound, quite wide.
“When that sort of thing happens, even though it doesn’t end up being that bad, you think about what could have happened,” Coles added.
He said the boy had a cool head despite the loss of a lot of blood.
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A Royal Flying Doctor plane landed at Coral Bay and the boy was transported to Perth Children’s Hospital, where he underwent surgery to repair the six-inch-long injury.
Surf Lifesaving West Australia tweeted today that authorities “have indicated that a beach closure will remain in place today for the Five Finger Reef area, near Coral Bay, following the shark from yesterday.
“Public report 2.0m unknown sp. [species] shark sighted 12:07 p.m. on 06/12, Coral Bay 500m offshore, on the left side of the boat launch. “
The Government of Western Australia has stated that “Fishery officers and officers from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) will continue to patrol the area throughout the day.
“The closure of the area will remain in place until 5 pm this afternoon. “
Bathers were invited to check out the SharkSmart website, download the SharkSmart WA app, or follow Surf Life Saving WA Twitter.
What is a bronze whaler?
Bronze whalers are not friendly to humans, but they usually don’t harm anyone unless there is food or prey, Sharksider explains.
Like other sharks, they become quite aggressive and restless in the presence of a food source.
The Bronze Whale Shark feeds primarily on cartilaginous fish, small bony fish, and other cephalopods such as squid and octopus.
It is also known to feed quite frequently on small sharks and rays.
The Bronze Whale Shark is normally found in temperate areas or latitudes and prefers to stay in larger groups.
Although it prefers the deeper Atlantic waters, particularly off the coasts of South Africa, New Zealand and Australia, they are also found in the offshore island coasts, the waterways and artificial harbors.
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This is the second such attack in the region in a few months.
Jackson Howson, 27, was bitten in the calf by a shark trying to snatch its catch in March.
He cheated death by hitting the fierce predator in the face.
The shark attacked Mr. Howson, who hit the beast in desperation and frantically swam 100m to his boat where his partner was.
This left Mr Howson with a horrific 8cm bite wound on his leg caused by the predator – believed to be either a whaler or a bulldog shark, considered by experts to be the most dangerous shark in the world.
After his lucky escape, he posted photos of the leg injury on social media from the hospital, adding he was in “good spirits.”
In December, a man got the scare of his life when he saw a bulldog shark lurking near his back fence after flash floods wreaked havoc in Queensland.
It happened just days after a huge 16-foot white shark was captured and tagged by marine experts.
The dramatic scenes were filmed just off the coast of Cottesloe Beach in Perth – swimmers ordered to get out of the water immediately.
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Last year Australia recorded its highest numbers of deadly shark attacks in almost 100 years.
Eight men – aged 17 to 60 – were killed while in the water off the country’s coast.
Scientists speculated that changing hunting grounds, weather, stays, and overfishing may all have played a role in the peak.
Only a handful of people are killed by sharks each year, with attacks typically taking place in Australia, the United States and South Africa.
Horror attacks appear to be becoming increasingly deadly, with just two deaths out of 64 attacks worldwide in 2019.
In November, the father of three, Charles Cernobori, 59, was killed by a 12-foot shark off Cable Beach in Broome, Western Australia.
The grandfather of four was bodyboarding about 30 meters from the iconic tourist beach when he was attacked.
Meanwhile, spooky footage taken in February showed the moment an unconscious surfer stepped on a gray nurse shark after slipping off his board before exiting the water in terror.
The lucky escape was filmed by a drone at Bondi Beach in Sydney, with the surfer miraculously avoiding injuries.
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