A surfer is missing after being attacked by a massive great white shark.
Tod Gendle, 55, was surfing Nov. 2 south of Streaky Bay on the western side of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. There were 8 to 10 other people in the water with him off Granites Beach.
Around 10:20 a.m. Jack Martin was on a nearby cliff watching the water when he saw a shark attack.
“The guy just caught a wave and started paddling back out,” Martin told ABC News. He said Gendle was about 32 feet from another surfer when “he got knocked off his board by the shark and then it circled back around and grabbed him.”
Martin, who has surfed the same area and has had white sharks swim under him, said the shark thrashed Gendle before taking him underwater. Another witness said the shark brought Gendle to the surface before submerging with him a second time.
Jeff Schmucke saw the commotion and jet skied to the location and grabbed the empty surfboard. Witnesses pointed out the location of the attack and Schmucke drove to the site and turned off his ski.
“Within a minute, a great white of 14 feet or so” appeared, he said. He followed the shark as it circled six or seven times; its dorsal fin was so close, he could have touched it as it breached the water, but he saw no signs of Gendle.
“It could have been more than one shark there,” he said. “I’ve seen five great whites in the water at once on one particular occasion so you can’t count out the fact there could have been more than one shark there.”
“We have a huge surfing community here . . . unfortunately we [also] have a large population of great whites and that’s impacting on the surfing world,” Schmucke said.
Police searched the area multiple times, but only located small items.
Mr. Gendle’s family issued the following public statement through the police: “We wish to express our heartfelt thanks to the police and volunteers for their dedicated efforts in the recent days. We extend our appreciation to his friends and the local community of Streaky Bay, who had the chance to know Tod. Our thoughts and prayers are with those who were with Tod on that day.”
White sharks may have consumed two other Australians.
Simon Baccanell, 46, was surfing May 14 at Walkers Rock Beach on the Eyre Peninsula in South Australia when a white shark killed him. The surf normally pushes items to the shore, but Baccanell’s remains were never found.
Simon Nellist, 35, was swimming Feb 16, 2022. at Little Bay, in New South Wales when a white shark attacked him. Video of the attack shows the shark making several strikes on the victim’s remains until they disappear.
Two other shark attacks in South Australia this year
Pamela Cook, 64, was swimming Oct. 1 near the Beachport jetty in South Australia. The grandmother was with a local swim group when she felt what she thought was another swimmer hitting her ankle. She turned and, when she didn’t see anyone, knew it could be a shark.
The shark, thought to be a great white, bit her thigh. She was able to kick the shark which released its grip. Cook was helped to a ladder and managed to climb up to the pier. Another swimmer used her top as a makeshift tourniquet while others grabbed towels and used jackets to keep her warm.
EMS praised the good Samaritans’ work before transporting Cook to Mount Gambier hospital. Cook is expected to make a full recover.
Bridgette O’Shannessy, 32, was free diving off a Port Noarlunga reef Nov. 10 in Adelaide when a white shark bit her. Her partner Brian Gordon Roberts pushed the shark away before putting pressure on her wounds and helping her back to a boat.
Once on shore O’Shannessy was taken to Flinders Medical Center where she had multiple surgeries for extensive facial injuries, including the removal of some of her teeth and nerve damage.
All locations have been marked on the 2023 Shark Attack Map.
