Shark interactions have been reported in Israel, South Africa, Acapulco Mexico and French Polynesia over the weekend.
One of the rarest interactions occurred off the coast of Israel.
Hanan Shaul was snorkeling near the power plant off Hadera with two friends Nov. 25.
The Safed resident had been in the shallow water for about an hour when he drifted around 10 yards away from his friends.
Around 2 or 3 p.m. in the afternoon, he decided to swim into the nearly empty beach when a shark grabbed his light blue fin. The shark thrashed about and hit Shaul’s leg before pulling off the fin and disappearing into the murky water.
Shaul was able to swim 30 yards back to the beach with his one remaining fin. He posted a warning about the incident online, recommending everyone stay in groups, avoid murky water and to always stay calm in the water.
The Hadera power plant deposits warm water into the meditation and attracts dusky and sandbar sharks. The Israel Nature and Parks Authority has issued a warning that people avoid the area around the power plant from December to April as that is a peak time for sharks. In addition, they also issued a reminder that it is against the law to feed, harass or harm an endangered sharks.
A great white shark knocked a kayaker into the air in South Africa.
Bradley Beamish was fishing off the coast of East London with Brett Armstrong and two other fishermen when a white shark showed up Nov. 21.
Armstrong was about 16 feet behind Beamish around 6:50 a.m. when the estimated 13-feet long white shark struck.
“We just started to paddle and then just suddenly, out of nowhere the great white hit Bradley from underneath,” Armstrong recalled. The fisherman said he was quite surprised that Beamish was able to stay in the kayak as the boat was lifted about a foot out of the water and attributing it to a prayer they always say before going out on the water.
“The shark disappeared for a few seconds and then came up behind the kayak. Tell wagging like crazy and charging again at the kayak. I was like this thing is going to hit you with proper intent,” he said. Adding that the shark went under just before reaching the rear of the kayak.
Beamish posted a video of the incident shows the shark as it splashed feet behind the kayak. He thinks the shark may have confused the kayak as prey in the dirty 39-foot deep water.
The group has run across sharks before, but this was the first time one was aggressive.
A provoked shark bite was reported off the coast of rural Acapulco, Mexico.
An unidentified fisherman was around 46 miles off the coast of Barra Vieja Nov. 23.
Around 3:00 p.m. the man was releasing a hooked shark when it bit his right arm at the elbow. He was taken to Puerto Marqués and the transferred to a hospital around 5:30 p.m.
A fourth incident took place in French Polynesia.
A 9-year-old boy, identified as Tiago, was on a shark snorkeling excursion off Moorea Nov. 14.
The boy was near a divemaster as sharks were being fed at the Afareitu lagoonarium, when five sharks surround the two and one bit the boy. He was taken to a hospital in Tahiti for treatment of the wound to his right forearm.
Doctors used 72 stitches to sew up the 3 torn tendons and other wounds on the young man’s right arm. His parents filed a complaint against the lagoonarium as it is illegal to feed sharks in French Polynesia.
Last month a tourist was severely injured by a shark on the same Island. The woman, identified as Emmanuelle B., was off Opunohu Bay with a whale watching group Oct. 21. Members of the group were following a pod of pilot whales when an oceanic whitetip attacked the woman and severed both her hands and left severe injuries to her chest. S
There have been a total of 93 shark attack bites (81 with injury, 24 of which are considered provoked*) Five fatal.
All locations have been marked on the 2019 Shark Attack Map.
