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Shark attacks windsurfers board

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Created by Ozone Kites Aus > 9 months ago, 6 Feb 2016
seanhogan
QLD, 3424 posts
6 Feb 2016 9:04AM
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wow, decent bitemark size !!!!! Could've lost a few toes....

MarkSSC
QLD, 634 posts
6 Feb 2016 9:47AM
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I suppose that the FSW for a wave board now stands for 'Frantic Shark Watcher' Maybe it was attracted by menu item...Full Wood Sandwich Sharks have been in the news a lot during recent times and mostly from NSW. Could happen anywhere, anytime. Sharks do need to improve their table manners though

garynoel
WA, 260 posts
6 Feb 2016 9:18AM
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Mark comes from Cardiff!
If he had stuck to sailing at cold knap this would have never happened.
Glad you are ok Mark.

I myself have no chance of getting atacked by a shark as my ezzy mast taken from the pond on wed 3rd feb at the pond in safety bay has still not shown up. Surely the kindly guy who took it will see all the posts on seabreeze and all my flyers stuck to trees.
pleass all... keep an eye out for sharks and my mast
......

WaynoB
NSW, 393 posts
6 Feb 2016 12:19PM
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Sounds like a close call, luckily he is OK. Makes you think twice about going in the surf........

JonE
VIC, 126 posts
6 Feb 2016 10:59PM
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Urghhhhhh that gives me the willies. Imagine how he felt waterstarting to get going again..... Reckon he went for the uphaul?

Hausey
NSW, 325 posts
6 Feb 2016 11:08PM
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Geezus - never would have thought that a shark would go a fast moving board? I've always thought you'd be safe when moving along.

Can't even imagine what it would be like to be cruising along, minding your own business and a shark stops you in your tracks! Looking down at a beasty biting into your board. F... that!

Could have easily been a body part involved - his foot comes to mind.

A shark expert might be able to identify what species? Any tooth fragments in the punctures?

All the best with your getting back out there mate. I'd be interested in hearing some more about your heavy ordeal. You dodged a bullet!

R1DER
WA, 1455 posts
6 Feb 2016 8:13PM
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I'm curious to know how fast he was going? Chugging along at 5 knot's or powered up planing at 30 knot's.
I also wonder if the quatro graphics look like food to a shark?

dan berry
WA, 2562 posts
6 Feb 2016 9:34PM
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Maybe it kinda exciting for them like a popper is. Good to hear you made it thru all right morrie.

wendell
NSW, 128 posts
7 Feb 2016 12:41AM
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I'm told he uphauled, got it first attempt, good effort with jelly legs!
If you didn't have an uphaul, how long would you wait until getting in the water to waterstart?

Gustenzo
WA, 108 posts
6 Feb 2016 10:02PM
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Apparently GWS (whitey bitty) have a top speed of about 21-22 knots, although they are not the fastest shark (or so google tells me). So speed is your friend as well as an up-haul rope and a few hard pumps to get the hell out of there!

Glad to hear he was not injured!

Ozone Kites Aus
NSW, 884 posts
Site Sponsor
7 Feb 2016 7:03AM
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You can see from the 2 pics how close it came to his foot, lucky man. Hope the memory of the moment fades fast....






Mobydisc
NSW, 9020 posts
7 Feb 2016 8:19AM
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Select to expand quote
R1DER said..
I'm curious to know how fast he was going? Chugging along at 5 knot's or powered up planing at 30 knot's.
I also wonder if the quatro graphics look like food to a shark?


It was pretty windy last Thursday and from the description of events it sounds like he was catapulted so probably he was planing when attacked.



dextersurf
SA, 114 posts
7 Feb 2016 9:34AM
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Select to expand quote
Mobydisc said..
It was pretty windy last Thursday and from the description of events it sounds like he was catapulted so probably he was planing when attacked.


On his mate's facebook post, he said "Just gybed and was going slow"

ma
NSW, 371 posts
7 Feb 2016 12:29PM
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Surely this is a warranty

DunkO
NSW, 1143 posts
7 Feb 2016 1:05PM
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So much for the premium construction sticker.

See you at Catho next southerly then?

dan berry
WA, 2562 posts
7 Feb 2016 10:06AM
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Bite the bullet and have that sucker on your wall for the rest of your life mate. Doesnt get much better than that.

robbo1111
NSW, 620 posts
7 Feb 2016 1:20PM
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Select to expand quote
dan berry said..
Bite the bullet and have that sucker on your wall for the rest of your life mate. Doesnt get much better than that.



I reckon Keith would love to have it on the wall at Quatro, he might even exchange for a new board

gavnwend
WA, 1364 posts
7 Feb 2016 10:30AM
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Lucky man it makes you wonder when sailing along if it has happen to anyone but the shark has just missed by a whisker.

ma
NSW, 371 posts
7 Feb 2016 3:09PM
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Select to expand quote
dan berry said...
Bite the bullet and have that sucker on your wall for the rest of your life mate. Doesnt get much better than that.

Yea I considered it but its 3 grand for a replacement so I will probably get it fixed but still leave a reminder of the bite.

DunkO
NSW, 1143 posts
7 Feb 2016 4:06PM
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Put some fibreglass mat with a clear finish so to can see the teeth holes, like this one I did on mine but less bodgy.




ma
NSW, 371 posts
7 Feb 2016 4:18PM
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I can hardly notice the repair Dunko, ha

pirrad
SA, 850 posts
7 Feb 2016 4:40PM
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Two solid days in a row and my dropped gybe (90%) time in water has been cut in half with this in the back/front of my mind. Its helped though, used to be 95%

DunkO
NSW, 1143 posts
7 Feb 2016 6:32PM
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I can do your board repair for $20 a tooth hole?

MarkSSC
QLD, 634 posts
8 Feb 2016 7:23AM
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Select to expand quote
ma said..



Surely this is a warranty


The evenly spaced tooth holes go right around into a neat semi circle. That shark had a big head. The diameter of the bite marks seem to be 3-4 handspans wide = 300mm - 400mm approx. Can anyone guess from this how big the body was? Not a littely is my guess. Definitely a leg swallower.

Sailhack
VIC, 5000 posts
8 Feb 2016 9:41AM
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^^^ After doing some googling, if the bite mark has a radius of 400 - 450mm (at a guess from the photo), the shark (based on a GWS ratio) would be 3,500 - 4,000mm long - that's not a small fish!

Twisted
39 posts
8 Feb 2016 8:24AM
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The good thing is that shark wont chomp on a sailboard again. He was swimming around and thought can I eat this? has a chomp, NO, swims off, thinks I can't eat them.

sausage
QLD, 4873 posts
8 Feb 2016 10:31AM
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Select to expand quote
Sailhack said..
^^^ After doing some googling, if the bite mark has a radius of 400 - 450mm (at a guess from the photo), the shark (based on a GWS ratio) would be 3,500 - 4,000mm long - that's not a small fish!



Sailhack, that bite mark at best is 300mm diameter so only 150mm radius. Still not insignificant but 3.5 - 4.0m I think not.

Also does anyone recall who the sailor was off WA around 2007-08 who experienced exactly the same thing. I recall he was on a red starboard acid or similar and it could have been up north of perth??????

sausage
QLD, 4873 posts
8 Feb 2016 10:37AM
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Found it (2006) - my memory's not too bad.

www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Windsurfing/General/Shark-attack-at-Gnaraloo/?page=1

Sailhack
VIC, 5000 posts
8 Feb 2016 12:53PM
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Select to expand quote
sausage said..

Sailhack said..
^^^ After doing some googling, if the bite mark has a radius of 400 - 450mm (at a guess from the photo), the shark (based on a GWS ratio) would be 3,500 - 4,000mm long - that's not a small fish!




Sailhack, that bite mark at best is 300mm diameter so only 150mm radius. Still not insignificant but 3.5 - 4.0m I think not.

Also does anyone recall who the sailor was off WA around 2007-08 who experienced exactly the same thing. I recall he was on a red starboard acid or similar and it could have been up north of perth??????


Yep, diameter (Monday doh!) - but let's say it's 350 across for argument sake? (it looks more than 300?) which would be a bite circumference of approx. 500mm? Those results still point to a >3m shark.

MarkSSC
QLD, 634 posts
8 Feb 2016 7:47PM
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How strong was the bite? Sometimes you see surfboards bitten all the through. A windsurfing board would be stronger, though I look at the depth of the teeth marks and wonder if it bit down hard or changed its mind. Tiger sharks can bite through a turtle shells and they are fairly tough. A shark of around 2.5 - 3 metres would have considerable strength. The even spacing of those holes also make me think it was a GW as others are suspecting.



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"Shark attacks windsurfers board" started by Ozone Kites Aus