February 9, 201511 yr Surfer killed after shark bites off legs in AustraliaBy KRISTEN GELINEAUSYDNEY (AP) — A man was killed Monday after a shark tore off his legs while he was surfing off Australia's east coast, not far from the area where another surfer was mauled by a shark a day earlier, officials said.The 41-year-old Japanese national was sitting on his board waiting for a wave when the shark came up behind him and grabbed the back of the board and the man's legs in its mouth, said David Wright, mayor of the New South Wales town of Ballina, where the attack occurred. The man's friends, who had been surfing alongside him, rushed him to shore, where they tried to stop the bleeding with tourniquets and performed CPR."But because both legs were gone, he bled to death very quickly," Wright said.Officials have not released the man's name, but Wright said he had been living in the area and worked at a local surf shop and as a cleaner at a hotel.Shelly Beach, the site of the attack, was closed, along with a larger stretch of coastline as officials searched for the shark.Ballina is just 20 kilometers (12 miles) south of Seven Mile Beach, where 35-year-old surfer Jabez Reitman was attacked on Sunday."I just freaked out," Reitman told reporters as he was taken from an ambulance at a hospital on Sunday. "I thought it was a dolphin at first until I started feeling and realized it was pretty significant lacerations."Reitman was surfing off Seven Mile Beach, near the tourist town of Byron Bay, when he was bitten by what he described as a 2-to-3-meter (7-to-10-foot) shark."I should've stayed in bed," he said of his decision to go surfing.Reitman was later transferred from Byron Bay to Gold Coast University Hospital, which reported his condition as stable.Wright, the Ballina mayor, said he suspected both attacks were linked, given their similarity and proximity. But he said locals, though somber, were taking the attack in stride."It's just an accident," Wright said.In September, a 50-year-old swimmer was killed by a shark at Byron Bay.Sharks are common off Australia's beaches, but fatal attacks are rare; the country has averaged fewer than two deadly attacks per year in recent decades.-- (c) Associated Press 2015-02-09
February 9, 201511 yr how/when has this killed/died word usage changed. in my english this should be surfer died after shark bite. as it stands it is interpreted as, after shark bit him something/someone attacked and killed him because he couldnt then run away. this killed / died misusage is common in thai english press.
February 9, 201511 yr Poor bugger. Been to that beach many times. Me too....Was wondering if the pilchards are running, and thats why the sharks are around again... There were a lot more sharks there in the sixtys, when the whaling was stopped.. I feel for this guys family too....bloody horrible way to die.
February 9, 201511 yr I grew up surfing So Cal and now live in Florida which they say is shark bite capital of the world. We have small Bull, Spinner and etc. These things take a small bite and usually take off. I, however, have seen some huge shadows in Australia and South Africa. This shark had to be absolutely huge to take part of the board and both legs in a single strike. Appears that Perth/Rotterdam Island finally calmed down. Sad story.
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