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From: PeterO <rebyl_kayak_at_iprimus.com.au>
subject: [Paddlewise] Shark Attacks Kayaker
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 08:31:54 +1100
Peter Treby wrote: -
>Anyone, maybe PeterO or PeterR, have any more details of
>the attack reported today at:

G'Day,

Accordng to various news items: -

A man was kayaking near the Cabarita Marina when he was attacked. The marina
is in the inner harbour area of a large "industrial" river, called the
Parramatta. About 7:00 or 8:00pm his boat was hit by a shark and he was
thrown into the water. A local policeman was quoted by the ABC news station
as saying "Something flung him into the water, hit his kayak and the shark
rammed his chest and he's seen it then that it was a shark," he started
swimming to a nearby navigation buoy then "He felt it as he was swimming,
his hand punched the back of the shark or the head of the shark and he could
feel it circling him and then he made it to the buoy and he scrambled up and
then he screamed for help,". He was rescued by some local fishermen.

sit in river kayak, but I'm not sure. It had a yellow deck and white hull.
It was reported to have a large bite mark and part of a tooth imbedded in
the stern, but all I could see were some black marks as though the shark
were grazing (tasting) the kayak. The kayaker was bruised had some minor
cuts from barnacles as he climbed on the buoy and was held in hospital
overnight.

Every few years theres a report of a shark attack on a boat or swimmer in
the rivers flowing into Sydney harbour. The last three in this area were in
January 1996, February 1997 and March 2000. The 1996 attack was the first
recorded in Sydney harbour since 1963. I guess the harbour is cleaning up a
bit!. Its summer here and there has been a great deal of seasonal torrential
rain in the last two weeks and theres a lot of fish about. I wonder if it
was significant that there were fishermen nearby? I've never heard of an
attack on a sailing dinghy. Maybe the sail frightens them.

If the weather's OK we'll be paddling in the same general area this weekend
(Balmain), so will keep our fingers crossed (toes if we're paddling) and
avoid fishermen. Its going to be too windy to go along the coast (40 to 50
knots).

All the best, PeterO

See also http://www.abc.net.au/news/2002/02/item20020208080500_1.htm
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