Miracle shark escape
Published: October 22, 2007
Australia — A woman knocked from her sea kayak by a white pointer shark near Byron Bay fought off the predator with a paddle before escaping to shore with only a bite to her hand.
Measuring about 2.5 metres the shark tipped 52-year-old Linda Whitehurst out of her sea kayak at “The Pass”, one of the most popular surf breaks at the New South Wales town.
Ms Whitehurst has told Network Ten she feared the shark would take hold of her leg before she was able to fight it off.
Her husband, Glen, saw the shark rise out of the water and bite the back of his wife’s kayak.
When the shark eventually retreated Ms Whitehurst was able to make her way to shore before going to hospital.
She required four stitches in the wound the shark left on her wrist.
The attack occurred about 11.30am when Ms Whitehurst was about 150 metres offshore and paddling with her husband.
The couple paddled back to shore and the woman was treated at the Byron Bay District Hospital for a bite wound.
“She received a few stitches in her arm but there was no other damage, fortunately,” a hospital spokesman said.
Ms Whitehurst was released from hospital this afternoon.
A shark was spotted about half an hour after the attack, swimming about 200 metres off Main Beach, Byron’s town centre beach.
Northern NSW lifeguard co-ordinator Stephen Leahy said: “We have got vessels in the area and the shark has been chased out to sea, to deeper waters.”
The beach, which Mr Leahy said was busy this morning with “beautiful” weather conditions, remains closed.
“There was a similar incident last Tuesday when a man in a kayak was menaced by a great white about eight to 10 foot long at Wategos Beach, just the next beach around from where this woman was attacked today,” Mr Leahy said.
“It appears to be unusual that a shark would menace people like this,” he said.
“It’s not unusual to see sharks when you are out at sea, but for one to … go to today’s extremes, it’s most unusual.”
Mr Leahy praised Ms Whitehurst for her bravery and quick thinking in what could easily have become a fatal attack.
If you enjoyed this good news Subscribe to Good News Blog
If you like this, you'll love Good Animal News:
Share this
To share this simply copy and paste one of the below URL's: