A great white shark has bitten a Ballina surfer off the coast off Australia.
Lee Jonsson was hitting the waves off Shelly Beach, Ballina Nov. 7 just after 7 a.m. when an 8-foot (2.6m) great white shark bumped his board and knocked him into the water.
The 43-year-old grabbed his board and began hitting the shark, unaware that he had been bitten on the left leg below the knee.
Even though he had a 20cm wound, Jonsson was able to swim back to shore and alert authorities.
Jonsson transported himself to hospital for treatment of the non-life-threatening wound.
Beaches in the area have been closed for 24 hours while the incident is being investigated.
Ballina has been a hot spot for shark mitigation and has trialed shark nets in the past.
The shire has regularly used drum lines, shark spotting drones and helicopters.
“We’ve got the latest and best surveillance technology in the country, or maybe even the world, but the shark bypassed it,” Ballina Shire Council Mayor David Wright told 9News
The New South Wales incident comes just three days after a fatal shark attack occurred about six hours north (by air) along the coast to Queensland.
Dr. Daniel Christidis had been with several friends on a charter boat in Cid Harbour near Whitsunday Island Nov. 5.
The medical researcher was sharing a paddleboard with a friend when the two decided to switch places.
When the 33-year-old jumped into the water, he was attacked by a shark.
Dr. Christidis’ injuries were so severe that he had to be resuscitated multiple times; after being transported by air to the hospital, he was pronounced dead.
Two other shark bites occurred in the same area in September, one day apart from each other.
As of Nov. 7, 2018, there have been a total of 88 shark attack bites (64 with injury, 19 of which are considered provoked*) publicly reported and verified in 2018. Five fatal**; 33 were reported in the U.S. (including one fatal), with 13 occurring in Florida and 3 in Hawaii. Twenty-one have been reported in Australia, one fatal. Eight unconfirmed bites, worldwide, not included in the total count.
All locations have been marked on the 2018 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
