A surfer was bitten by a great white shark in New Zealand October 19.
Andrew Brough was hitting the waves at Baylys Beach, Near Dargville in the Northland Region.
Around 6 p.m. the 25-year-old, who was wearing a full black wetsuit, was in a prone position when a shark bit his left arm.
“It’s got him in the hand, the elbow, a little bit on his mouth. He was definitely in pain and there was a bit of blood.
“I’ve lived here 45 years and I can’t remember the last person who’s been bitten by a shark out here,” Dargaville Volunteer Fire Brigade deputy chief Michael Ross told The NZ Herald.
Brough paddled back to shore where a good Samaritan gave him a ride back to his vehicle.
A helicopter from Northland Emergency Services Trust arrived around 6:41 p.m. and flew him to Whangarei hospital for treatment of the serious injuries.
Brough’s board had a half-moon bite mark left in it along with one of the shark’s teeth.
“The tooth is definitely from the lower jaw of a great white shark.
“The whole bite is quite distinctive; the size of the teeth, the spacing and the number of teeth are all characteristic of a great white shark. Very few sharks have jaws as large and teeth as large as a great white shark and they have a relatively low number of teeth in the jaw.” Department of Conservation (DOC) marine scientist Clinton Duffy told Stuff.
Duffy said he has been using satellite tracking devices to follow the paths of great whites.
“Great whites usually feed on seals and other large pray like dolphins. They investigate objects floating on the surface by biting it.” He said adding that many people survive shark attacks because they are often bite-and-release incidents.
There have been a total of 82 shark attack bites (58 with injury, 18 of which are considered provoked*) publicly reported and verified in 2018. Four fatal**; 30 were reported in the U.S (including one fatal), with 11 occurring in Florida and 3 in Hawaii. Eighteen have been reported in Australia, none fatal.
All locations have been marked on the 2018 Shark Attack Bites Tracking Map.
Eight unconfirmed bites, worldwide, not included in the total count.
*Provoked defined as spearfishing, feeding sharks, fishing, etc. (listed with green marker).
**Three possible scavenge
