A beachgoer in New South Wales found a human leg washed up near North Beach at Mylestom around 2 p.m. Dec. 17.
The person alerted authorities who found a large skeletal portion of a human leg covered in wetsuit material, as well as a human foot bones inside a dive boot.
According to initial reports, the remains appeared to have been in the water for a long time.
The remains have been sent to a pathologist to determine when the person died and the possible location at the time of death. It is possible the person died offshore, and the remains floated to the beach. It is also possible the person died of other causes and the body was scavenged by sharks as it floated in the sea.
Earlier this year a surfer had a close encounter with a shark 3 miles south of North Beach.
Matt Gallagher was surfing the Bellinger River break in Urunga Feb. 4, when a shark attacked his board. The shark hit with full force from underneath, knocking Gallagher off his board. He scrambled back on the board and watched as the shark rammed him a second time. He quickly returned to shore.
Several possible scavenge events have been reported during 2019.
Richard Martyn Turner went swimming in a protected area of lagoon de l’Hermitage, Saint-Gilles, on Reunion Nov. 2. After he failed to return, his wife filed a missing persons report. Three days later, one of five captured tiger sharks was dissected and Mr. Turner’s hand was found in its stomach.
Several days later, Olivier Angeloz, who was reported to be a very strong swimmer, drowned in the same location. Angeloz’s death could lend credence to the possibility Turner also drowned or died of other causes before being scavenged by the shark.
Darren Peterson, 46, was boating off Franklin County, Florida when his boat sank Oct. 9. After an extensive search, a life ring was found with several bite marks from a bull shark.
Alan Delatoore, 45, disappeared while solo diving off Bubba’s Beach in Hawaii Oct. 4. Search-and-rescue divers recovered his equipment in shredded condition, but his body was not recovered.
A body was found floating off North Kohala coast April 7. Using a helicopter, rescuers attempted to recover the body as it floated off Lokahi Road. However, as they attempted to collect the body, a large tiger shark grabbed it and disappeared under the water.
There have been five fatal shark attacks reported and confirmed in 2019.
All locations have been marked on the 2019 Shark Attack Map.
