WA Surfer Attacked By ‘Massive’ Shark In Shallow Water

You can click here to read our entire deep-dive into White Shark behavior with marine biologist Brinkley Davies — and click here for a local’s perspective on the mounting number of attacks in South Australia.

Around midday on Monday, March 10th, a man surfing Wharton Beach — about 500 miles south of Perth — was reportedly attacked by a large shark.

At approximately 12:17 p.m. local time, the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) in Western Australia “received a report of a shark bite incident,” per a release on the local government’s SharkSmart website.

Witnesses told police a surfer had been attacked by a “massive” shark in chest-deep water, per The Sydney Morning Herald.

According to one witness,  “There were screams. There were people saying like ‘get out’, everything – it was a very panicked moment. We heard a scream and everyone got out of the water. The water next to the surfboard was dark, with a shark’s fin circling around.”

In a police statement, it was noted that “A surf board with evidence of bite marks has been recovered from the water … but no surfer has been sighted. It is believed the surfer was the victim of a serious shark bite incident. A shark was sighted in the area a short time prior, and beachgoers left the water.”

The attack is a few hundred km away from Cheynes Beach, where 37-year-old Western Australian surfer Dale Kittow fought off a shark attack just a couple months ago.  

This attack also follows the tragic January death in nearby South Australia of 28-year-old Lance Appleby, who went missing after being attacked by a great white off Granites Beach.

You can click here to read our entire deep-dive into White Shark behavior with marine biologist Brinkley Davies — and click here for a local’s perspective on the mounting number of attacks in South Australia.