A surfer had a narrow escape when a shark took a huge bite out of his board and snapped it in half at Cabarita Beach, between Byron Bay and Gold Coast in Australia, on Monday morning. Brad Ross was sitting on his board when the shark attacked close to his rear, launching him into the water. He emerged unharmed but with his board in two pieces.
Eyewitness Kym Falvey, a local yoga teacher, told the Australian Broadcasting Company: "The man was sitting on his board and the shark literally bit the board behind his butt. The board just popped, like it exploded, and it flew up in the air." She said a man on the rocks shouted a warning, and surfers kept paddling until they reached dry sand.
No one was injured in the attack, but the beach was temporarily closed after Surf Life Saving New South Wales responded at around 7.30am local time. Drone monitoring of the shark was launched. Tweed Shire Council said: "While we know that the surfer is 'rattled', we're very pleased that he got out of the water safely today."
Surf Lifesaving Far North Coast's Dave Rope described the surfer as "very, very lucky" and urged fellow surfers to be cautious. A five-metre-long shark was caught and released from a SMART Drumline at Norries Headland, Cabarita Beach, at 9.52am, and was later spotted by Dorsal Shark reports just after noon.
Professional surfer Kelly Slater, an 11-time World Surf League champion, said: "Incredible he's ok. Great example of why I fear open ocean swimming so much. Surfboards have saved quite a few surfers with that tiny barrier." The incident comes two months after a 16-year-old boy was bitten by a shark at the same location.
