A 15-year-old boy has had his leg bitten off in a shark attack at a West Australian beach.
The boy was body surfing at Wharton beach at Duke of Orleans Bay, east of Esperance, on WA’s remote south coast when the attack occurred at about 7.30am (AWST) this morning.
A spokesman for WA Police said the boy’s leg was bitten off just above the right knee. “He has lost one of his legs,” he said.
Stephen Luke from St John Ambulance said the boy was taken to hospital with a police escort.
The boy, a tourist from South Australia, was with his brother, 18, and 15-year-old friend, about 40 metres from the beach when he was attacked by an unknown type of shark.
He was helped from the surf by friends and several tourists who applied first aid, police said.
Surf Life Saving WA chief Paul Andrew said sharks were known to inhabit the area.
He said the boy was taken to the Esperance Hospital in a serious but stable condition.
The boy is now being transferred by air to Royal Perth Hospital for further treatment.
The beach has been closed and a helicopter has been organised to try and locate the shark.
By: steve rowell - 15th February 2008 at 08:01
By: Ren Frew - 13th February 2008 at 09:17
Hipocrite :diablo: :p
Its ok for us to eat them, but not vice versa? 😉 :p
If a shark ate you, would you have had your chips ?
By: steve rowell - 13th February 2008 at 01:07
Hipocrite :diablo: :p
Its ok for us to eat them, but not vice versa? 😉 :p
It’s what’s called a Gummy shark..they are a very very small shark that are completely harmless to man
By: Bmused55 - 12th February 2008 at 19:29
Had some shark and chips for dinner last night..whereas in Britain you would have say Cod and chips..in this country it’s Flake ( Gummy Shark) and chips..and i must say it’s very tasty too
Hipocrite :diablo: :p
Its ok for us to eat them, but not vice versa? 😉 :p
By: steve rowell - 10th February 2008 at 00:13
Had some shark and chips for dinner last night..whereas in Britain you would have say Cod and chips..in this country it’s Flake ( Gummy Shark) and chips..and i must say it’s very tasty too
By: DazDaMan - 8th February 2008 at 11:53
Oh please!!..gimme a break!!
What? Doesn’t that sound reasonable??
OK, say it WAS a shark.
One: she never saw it coming. From the sounds of it, it was a classic “hit and run” by whatever species of shark it was. It could have been a small blacktip reef shark, which is a species KNOWN to frequent shallow waters. OR, it could have been a wobbegong lying in the sand.
Two: from the description of the surroundings – shallow water “below her knees” – it couldn’t have been a very large shark at all, or one of the two species described above.
Three: She was wading in shallow water. Splashing = low-frequency vibrations. To a shark – potentially something to eat. Splashing around in shallow water will also generally kick up sand or mud, whatever’s on the bottom, obscuring visibility.
The shark was just doing what came naturally to it – hunting/feeding (if in the case of a blacktip), or defending itself (in the case of a wobbegong).
By: Bmused55 - 8th February 2008 at 08:26
Who’s being sensationalist now??
it was a facetious remark.
The way you’re banging on about shark attacks, its sounds like thats what you want though.
By: steve rowell - 8th February 2008 at 08:12
even if it was a shark… so what?
Are we to go and hunt them to extinction and destroy the oceans entire eco system so that people can splash around in the water?
Who’s being sensationalist now??
By: Bmused55 - 8th February 2008 at 08:10
even if it was a shark… so what?
Are we to go and hunt them to extinction and destroy the oceans entire eco system so that people can splash around in the water?
When people enter water known to be home to sharks, regardless of size, its a risk they have to accept.
By: steve rowell - 8th February 2008 at 03:37
She didn’t see it coming – so has NO way of proving it was even a shark that did the damage (unless it left tooth fragments in her foot). Also, in water that shallow, it can hardly have been a large shark (even if it was actually a shark).
Wading in the water? Kicking up sand + splashing sounds = surefire way to get bitten.
Oh please!!..gimme a break!!
By: Manston Airport - 7th February 2008 at 22:33
It was that deadly Crab again 😉 😀
James
By: DazDaMan - 7th February 2008 at 22:08
She didn’t see it coming – so has NO way of proving it was even a shark that did the damage (unless it left tooth fragments in her foot). Also, in water that shallow, it can hardly have been a large shark (even if it was actually a shark).
Wading in the water? Kicking up sand + splashing sounds = surefire way to get bitten.
By: Bmused55 - 7th February 2008 at 21:12
Mrs Cooke got off lightly!
By: steve rowell - 6th February 2008 at 05:02
Well then you stupid for steping into shark waters with sharks in its the same for Bears , Tigers lions etc etc Should have signs saying Enter at your own risk on the Beaches 😡 😉 If I came to Oz i would love to go see the Sharks aswel as Steve Irwins Zoo who I know was one for against Killing of sharks and against the Shark Nets you have on some beaches where they get caught up and die 🙁
PS I like a pet Hammer head Shark 😀
James
A 38-year-old mother of five has given a graphic account of a shark attack which happened as she waded with her three-year-old son at a remote Western Australian beach.
Becky Cooke still does not know if she will lose her left foot as a result of the attack, which happened at Coral Bay, 900 kilometres north of Perth, on Wednesday.
Mrs Cooke had to be airlifted to Perth for emergency surgery after being bitten on the left leg while wading in shallow water at Pelican Point while carrying her three-year-old son Ethan.
Speaking to the media from her bed at Royal Perth Hospital, she recalled how one of her sons came to her rescue when she was being attacked and she hit the shark with a camera to try to get it off her leg.
“As I fell into the water the sea just turned to blood,” she said.
“Browny came running over he had his gidgee [spear] with him and I just said to him, ‘Take Ethan’, and he grabbed Ethan and I just said, ‘Here give me your gidgee and you run back to the shore with your brother’. So I sat in the water while the guys come running over.
“I wasn’t sure if it was gone or if it was going to come back. I took my shirt off and wrapped it around my leg.
“The sea just turned to blood. The water was quite shallow, it was under my knees, but I didn’t see it coming,” she added.
“The pain didn’t start until I got to the shore. It felt like something had hit me.
“It was pretty horrific for my husband, my friends and children. My worry was for my boys as they were with me when all this was going on.”
Mrs Cooke said the family would like to thank so many people for helping her through the ordeal.
Her husband Peter, standing by her side with their five children aged 3 to 13, said they would like to thank the Coral Bay first aid post, the Royal Flying Doctor service, and staff and surgeons at Royal Perth Hospital.
He also paid tribute to two officers from the Department of Conservation and Land Management who just happened to turn up after the attack and helped his wife by dressing her wounds.
Mrs Cooke suffered two deep lacerations on her left leg, lost most of the heel on her left foot, and had to undergo an eight-hour operation to try to save it.
“If all goes well we’ll be able to save my foot and the options have been given to me that it’s at that stage where I could still lose my foot,” she said.
Mrs Cooke will undergo further surgery tonight and says it could take up to 24 months before she knows if attempts to save her foot have been successful.
By: Grey Area - 5th February 2008 at 18:50
I never take the Mother-in-law to the beach it scares the kiddies!!
Oh dearie, dearie, me……………. :rolleyes:
By: Bmused55 - 5th February 2008 at 07:53
ha ha ha ha!
By: steve rowell - 5th February 2008 at 03:24
On the other hand, one could say that people should exercise considerably more caution when entering water known to contain large carnivores with poor eyesight and notoriously voracious appetites. 😎
I never take the Mother-in-law to the beach it scares the kiddies!!
By: Manston Airport - 4th February 2008 at 18:17
So you’re saying if someone goes to the seaside on a hot summers day for a refreshing dip in the ocean and is attacked by a creature because it’s his domain..that’s just bad luck if the shark savages or kills someone.. don’t hunt it down and kill it.. let it go on to the next beach and attack someone else
Well then you stupid for steping into shark waters with sharks in its the same for Bears , Tigers lions etc etc Should have signs saying Enter at your own risk on the Beaches 😡 😉 If I came to Oz i would love to go see the Sharks aswel as Steve Irwins Zoo who I know was one for against Killing of sharks and against the Shark Nets you have on some beaches where they get caught up and die 🙁
PS I like a pet Hammer head Shark 😀
James
By: Bmused55 - 4th February 2008 at 15:01
So you’re saying if someone goes to the seaside on a hot summers day for a refreshing dip in the ocean and is attacked by a creature because it’s his domain..that’s just bad luck if the shark savages or kills someone.. don’t hunt it down and kill it.. let it go on to the next beach and attack someone else
Yes, essentially thats what I’m saying. The ocean is the sharks home. Natural selection anyone?
let it go on to the next beach and attack someone else
I think you’re in danger of being a bit sensationalist there. 99% of shark attacks are accidents. The shark simply mistakes the surfer paddling on his/her surf board as its primary prey: the Seal
By: Grey Area - 4th February 2008 at 11:02
So you’re saying if someone goes to the seaside on a hot summers day for a refreshing dip in the ocean and is attacked by a creature because it’s his domain..that’s just bad luck if the shark savages or kills someone.. don’t hunt it down and kill it.. let it go on to the next beach and attack someone else
On the other hand, one could say that people should exercise considerably more caution when entering water known to contain large carnivores with poor eyesight and notoriously voracious appetites. 😎
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