A surfer received serious lacerations on his foot after he was bitten by a shark off Windang Beach in New South Wales. On the opposite side of the continent, two spearfishermen were charged by a great white shark in Western Australia.
Wil Schroeter, 60, was surfing near the entrance to Lake Illawarra Beach with a friend Jan. 18.
Around 8 a.m., the Albion Park man was sitting on his board with both legs in the water when a shark grabbed his left foot.
He instinctively pulled his foot back when he saw blood coming from a large wound on his foot, and alerted other surfers before padding back to shore.
Several surfers came to his aid, carrying him on a surfboard and using surf leashes as tourniquets to stem the bleeding.
Schroeter was taken to the Wollongong Hospital for emergency surgery and is listed in stable condition.
The beach was temporarily closed but reopened the following day with added beach patrols.
“Our best advice is for people to swim between the flags where conditions are being monitored,” Surf Life Saving Illawarra duty officer Anthony Turner told the Illawarra Mercury.
Turner also suggested beach goers avoid using the water at dawn and dusk when sharks are more active, to avoid murky water especially after heavy rains, and to leave the water if large baits school or diving birds or seen.
“Swim or surf with a buddy so if something does happen – you’re caught in a rip, or concussed, or do get bitten by a shark – then you have someone there to give first aid and call emergency services,” he added.
Spearfishermen fought off a 12-foot great white shark Jan. 19.
Two men who were spearfishing said they were in Geordie Bay at 2:15 p.m. when an aggressive 12-foot-long shark arrived.
“Initially I saw the tail so tried to keep an eye on it then it came back and became really aggressive and started charging both of us,” the shark Reporting App Dorsal posted.
The unidentified men said they kept the shark at bay using their spearguns as they swam toward their boat. Eventually the shark went for a bag of fish one of the men was carrying and just missed injuring the man’s arm.
As the shark was pulling at the fish bag, the man was able to unhook it, and the shark left with the fish.
There have been three shark attacks reported in Australia, one of which was fatal.
The locations have been marked on the 2020 Shark Attack Map.
