A hunt was under way yesterday for a shark that killed a 21-year-old man as police praised the courage of two surfers who brought his mangled body back to shore.
Kyle Burden was in the water off Bunker Bay, a popular tourist spot on Australia’s west coast, when the shark attacked on Sunday, biting him so badly the lower half of his body was torn away, police said.
Local reports said either a great white shark or a bronze whaler, up to 4.5m long, was thought to be responsible.
A spotter plane and boats were scouring the coastline to find it, although authorities said there were no plans to kill the shark, just usher it out to sea.
Sergeant Craig Anderson from Dunsborough police told reporters it had been “perfect shark conditions.”
“It was dark and gloomy water, overcast skies, light rain falling, there was whale action in the bay and some seals about,” he said.
It is the first fatal shark attack in the country since February, when a man diving for abalone was savaged off South Australia, and only the fourth since December 2008. All but one have been off the west coast.
Anderson said Burden was among a group of about five surfing in the area.
“You have to take your hat off to the young fellow who was surfing with him and his mate for bringing him ashore, the nature of his injuries were significant,” he said.
Shark expert Hugh Edwards told the West Australian newspaper that the area, from Cape Naturaliste to Cape Leeuwin, was a “travel route” for sharks, particularly great whites.
“The risk of being attacked while in the water is very low, but there’s no doubt that there are far more people in the water in these areas than there were 10, 20 years ago so we are seeing more attacks,” he said.
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