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Two shark attacks in two days, one within sight of Sydney Opera House and one off Bondi Beach, have left Australians feeling distinctly nervous about getting in the water.
In the latest incident, a surfer was mauled at dusk yesterday at the southern end of Bondi Beach, one of the city's most popular wave-riding spots. The 33-year-old, whose left arm and hand were badly injured, was rescued by friends and taken to shore on a surfboard.
The attack came 36 hours after a Navy diver, Able Seaman Paul de Gelder, was bitten by a shark during a training exercise in Sydney Harbour. Mr de Gelder's family said yesterday that he had lost his right hand above the wrist and his right leg might have to be amputated. The incident, just before 7am on Tuesday, was the first attack in the harbour for 12 years. Bondi had not seen an attack for decades.
While no one has been killed by a shark off Sydney since 1963, recent attacks around Australia have alarmed locals. The Bondi surfer, who lives locally but has not been named, felt something bite him while he was in the water, according to police. Several off-duty doctors were on the beach and helped stem the massive bleeding, after which he was taken to hospital.
Mr de Gelder, 31, who was diving off a naval base near the Opera House, is in intensive care in the same hospital. When attacked, he was on the surface of the water, on his back. He was with a police diver carrying a sonar device, but it did not detect the shark.
Mr de Gelder underwent a second operation yesterday, and is in a serious but stable condition. His brother, Travis, said he was "in high spirits" despite his ordeal and coping "very well". There have been four other attacks in Australian waters this summer, one fatal, and three in two days last month.
The species of shark was not identified, though great whites have been blamed for recent attacks.
- THE INDEPENDENT
