Tag: Shark Attack

Shark knocks paddler into water, puts hole in craft

A 58-year-old man out for a morning paddle was suddenly knocked into the water when a great white shark bit into the back of his surf ski, leaving a gaping hole in the kayak-like craft. Roger Swinney was paddling from Nahoon Beach to East London …

A 58-year-old man out for a morning paddle was suddenly knocked into the water when a great white shark bit into the back of his surf ski, leaving a gaping hole in the kayak-like craft.

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Roger Swinney was paddling from Nahoon Beach to East London Harbor in South Africa last Thursday morning when the incident occurred.

“I felt amazingly calm during the attack, it was only afterwards on the beach I felt overwhelmed by all that happened,” Swinney told USA Today/For The Win Outdoors on Monday. “I thought it was going to attack again so I did feel a sense of dread. I was just focused on staying in my flooded ski and getting away.”

Also on FTW Outdoors: Shark affects world-famous yacht race

A nearby paddler heard the shark’s initial impact. John de Smith told Surfski.info that it “sounded like a bang and then a splash; I assumed he had fallen out and banged his boat as he fell.”

Swinney told Surfski.info that he fell off the surf ski again and “as I remounted the second time, I saw the swirl and tips of the shark’s fins.”

The surf ski, a long and narrow craft similar to a kayak, began filling with water and was slowly sinking. A crescent hole in the surf ski outlined the jaws of the shark.

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“I shouted, ‘Shark!’ to my son [Luke],” Swinney told Times Live of South Africa. “I paddled towards my son who was 50 meters behind me. My boat was sinking slowly, and I couldn’t paddle.”

Luke Swinney, 16, is a local lifeguard and was hailed a hero for rescuing his father, according to DispatchLive.

“Luke came along with his ski and told me to lie on the back and we paddled to the shore,” Roger Swinney told DispatchLive. “I am so proud of him. This was his first job and he made his first rescue.”

roger with son Luke

Two other paddlers retrieved Swinney’s abandoned surf ski and towed it to shore. Upon hearing what happened, some nearby surfers quickly got out of the water.

“This is the first time a shark has hit me,” Swinney told DispatchLive. “I am thankful to the Lord. I woke up and prayed this morning, and I am happy God saved me.”

Swinney is aware that there had been shark attacks at the same beach before and some surfers died, but he said he isn’t deterred from paddling.

“But I might paddle on the river for a bit,” he told SurfSki.info.

Photos of Swinney and the surf ski courtesy of Caron Williams. Photo of Roger and Luke Swinney courtesy of the Swinney family.

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Surfer bitten by shark off SoCal island airlifted to hospital

A 37-year-old surfer bitten by a shark northwest of Santa Rosa Island on Saturday was airlifted by the Coast Guard to the mainland and transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where he was reported in stable condition. “This was the best …

A 37-year-old surfer bitten by a shark northwest of Santa Rosa Island on Saturday was airlifted by the Coast Guard to the mainland and transported to Santa Barbara Cottage Hospital where he was reported in stable condition.

“This was the best possible outcome to a truly terrifying situation,” Lt. Benjamin McIntyre-Coble, the Coast Guard Sector-Los Angeles/Long Beach command duty officer, said in a Coast Guard bulletin.

The incident occurred around 3 p.m. off the island that is located 26 miles from Santa Barbara, Calif., according to the Coast Guard report.

An unnamed friend told KEYT that the surfer believed it to be a great white shark, and the attack was so powerful it shattered his surfboard into pieces.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Spearfisherman dragged out to sea by great white shark

One twitter user claiming to be a boat partner of the victim said that his friend was paddling out to surf from the boat when the shark attacked from below and launched him into the air. He was said to have suffered four lacerations across his right thigh. He swam to the boat and the Coast Guard was called.

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A tourniquet, as can be seen in the Coast Guard video, was applied to the right leg.

“This individual was fortunate to be with a buddy who was able to communicate their position to the Coast Guard,” McIntyre-Coble said. “We are all happy that he will be able to be with his family in time for the holidays.”

KEYT reported that the victim was set to be released Sunday night. KSBY said the surfer was expected to make a full recovery.

Photo courtesy of the Coast Guard.

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Watch: Shark knocks 7-year-old boy off surfboard

Chandler Moore was surfing at a beach known as the shark attack capital of the world when he was knocked into the water by a blacktip shark.

Chandler Moore, 7, was surfing at a Florida beach known as the shark attack capital of the world when he was knocked into the water by a blacktip shark.

It happened so quickly that his father Shaun Moore, who posted the video on social media, wasn’t aware of the shark and what happened until someone pointed it out to him.

“One of the surfers out there through social media got in touch,” Tennille Moore, Chandler’s mother, explained to WESH. “He was like, ‘Did you see the shark?’ And Shaun’s like, ‘What shark?’ So we slowed the video down and we were amazed.”

The incident occurred Saturday at New Smyrna Beach, a location known for its shark attacks. NatGeo reported that it is the shark attack capital of the world according to the International Shark Attack File, and said it estimates that anyone who has swam there has been within 10 feet of a shark.

Also on FTW Outdoors: Shark helps fisherman land huge tuna

“I’m like the luckiest boy ever since I didn’t get bit by that shark,” Chandler told WESH. He went on to explain what happened.

“So I’m just, like, standing up on this normal wave, and then I see fish, that makes me scared, so I kind of start to turn it, but then the shark hits me and knocks me right off.”

Two fish had jumped out of the water in front of him and he thought a third one had struck him. He learned later it was a shark.

“That explains why two fish in front of me jumped out of the water, because they got scared of the shark,” he told WESH.

But Chandler isn’t afraid of sharks. And the shark encounter isn’t going to scare him away from surfing. On the contrary.

“It’s not going to keep Chandler out of the water for sure,” Tennille Moore told WESH. “He’ll be out there. He’d be out there every day if he could.”

Photo courtesy of Shaun Moore.

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