Shark attacks in Australia

The Australian Shark Attack File has recorded that since 1791 there have been 639 shark attacks in Australia with 190 of them being fatal.[1]

Grey Nurse Shark in Fish Rock Cave, South West Rocks, New South Wales

Four species of sharks account for the vast majority of fatal attacks on humans: the bull shark, tiger shark, oceanic whitetip shark and the great white shark.

Shark netting
Example of a shark net

Since shark netting began in 1937, the number of deaths from sharks on beaches has been reduced in New South Wales, with only one fatal attack on a netted beach during that time. In Queensland there has not been a fatal attack on a netted beach since nets were introduced in the 1960s.[2]

Precautions against attacks

The Australian Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts states precautions which can be taken to reduce the risk of shark attacks.[3] These include avoiding swimming far from the shore, at the mouth of a river or on drop-offs to deeper water; avoiding swimming in dirty water, alone or with domestic animals, near people fishing, or at dusk or night; and to leave the water if schools of fish behave erratically or group in large numbers. The Australian Institute of Marine Science also states many of these and other precautions including not wearing jewelry or reflective clothing while swimming, and not swimming with any bleeding wounds.[4]

Non-fatal attacks
This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Name, ageDateSpeciesLocation; Comments
Wil Schroeter, 59 January 17, 2020 Wil Schroeter, a 59 year old Father of 2, from Albion Park, bitten around the foot while surfing at Windang Beach.[5]
Paddy Trumbull, 60 February 13, 2010 Trumbull, a 60-year-old grandmother from Sydney, survived a shark attack off northeastern Australia. She suffered severe lacerations to her buttocks and lost several pints of blood in the attack, which took place on the afternoon of Saturday, February 13, 2010, while she and her husband were snorkeling off Dent Island in Queensland.[6]
Dirk Avery, 52, November 2000 Great white shark Dirk Avery, a friend of Ken Crew, was badly wounded by his legs when he tried to defend him from the shark. Ken Crew lost his leg and died.
Rodney Fox, 23 December 1963 Great white shark Attacked while spearfishing and badly bitten around the chest and arm and survived.
Albert Pride, 20 February 1951 Lake Illawarra, fought off an attacking shark with a penknife[7]
Oates, youth December 1929 Currumbin, punched and kicked shark and fought it off [8]

Fatal attacks
Main article: List of fatal shark attacks in Australia

See also

References
  1. mesa.edu.au Australian Shark Attacks
  2. Sharks Rampage in Australia Time magazine Jan. 12, 2009
  3. Sharks in Australian waters Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts
  4. Dangerous marine animals, Sharks Australian Institute of Marine Science
  6. Grandmother, 60, Shares Shark Attack Story
  7. Fought Off Shark with Penknife Canberra Times, 5 February 1951
  8. Fight with shark, Youth beats off monster Canberra Times, Dec 1929
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