2018 Shark Attack Bite • Tracking Sharks

Nude surfer headbutts shark, gets bitten in NSW

October 22, 2018 Kevin McMurray

A nude bodysurfer was bitten by a shark in New South Wales, Australia October 20. Paul Kenny was hitting the waves off the clothing optional Samurai Beach, which had just been reopened after a dead whale had washed ashore, in Port Stephens at 7 a.m. The 51-year-old was around 50 meters (55 yards) off the beach when he decided to head back in. “I went to catch the last wave back in, put my head down and headbutted the shark,” He told the Sydney Morning Herald. “I didn’t know it…

Surfer bitten by great white shark in New Zealand

October 19, 2018October 22, 2018 Kevin McMurray

A surfer was bitten by a great white shark in New Zealand October 19. Andrew Brough was hitting the waves at Baylys Beach, Near Dargville in the Northland Region. Around 6 p.m. the 25-year-old, who was wearing a full black wetsuit, was in a prone position when a shark bit his left arm. “It’s got him in the hand, the elbow, a little bit on his mouth. He was definitely in pain and there was a bit of blood. “I’ve lived here 45 years and I can’t remember the last…

Australian fisherman bitten by shark he caught

October 9, 2018October 9, 2018 Kevin McMurray

A Queensland fisherman was bitten by a shark he was trying to reel in after catching it. On October 8, a 55-year-old hooked a large reef shark off Swains Reef, near the Yeppoon Coast. The angler, called Mozzie by his friends, was with a charter group and in a small tender boat as he tried to reel in the shark. As he attempted to haul the shark on board around 5 p.m., he slipped and went overboard with the shark in tow. “Mozzie thought he could bloody wrangle it in…

Three shark bites reported in Florida

October 2, 2018October 19, 2018 Kevin McMurray

Two surfers and one swimmer have been bitten by sharks in Florida. The first incident occurred September 8 off Fort Pierce Inlet when a man in his mid-60s was bitten on the leg. The unidentified man received a serious wound between his knee and ankle. He was transported by emergency personnel to a local hospital and was originally listed in serious condition. The species of shark that bit him has not been identified; however, local sources indicate bull sharks have been spotted in the area. A second minor shark bite…

Teen bitten by shark in Southern California

October 1, 2018October 1, 2018 Kevin McMurray

A teen who was diving for lobster was bitten by a shark off the coast of Encinitas, California. Keane Hayes and his church youth group were in the area for opening of lobster season at 6 a.m. September 29. The 13-year-old was around 200 yards off Beacon’s Beach in about nine feet of water when an estimated 10- to 11-foot shark, most likely a great white, grabbed his upper body. Chad Hammel, who was lobstering with the group, heard Hayes’ scream. At first, he thought someone had captured a large…

Fatal shark attack in Jamaica; nonfatal attack in Bahamas

September 24, 2018September 25, 2018 Kevin McMurray

Two spearfishers have suffered injuries from shark bites, one of which was fatal. Nicholas Malcolm, 43, of Pineapple, Ocho Rios, St. Ann, went fishing with a friend off James Bond Beach in Jamaica September 19. After he went missing, a search of the area where he was last seen turned up shark-bitten pieces of his diver’s gear. “It [his gear] was torn up real bad, a piece of the chest, it had the impression that the shark has taken a piece of his chest. Because the impression shows of the…

Twelve-year-old girl bitten by shark hours after adult mauled

September 20, 2018October 9, 2018 Kevin McMurray

A twelve-year-old girl was bitten by a shark in the same area a 46-year-old was bitten. Hannah Papps was boating with her father and sister off Cid Harbour in the Whitsunday Islands of Queensland, Australia September 20. As Papps was swimming she was bitten on the upper leg near the groin area. Emergency response teams notified the ACQ CQ Helicopter Rescue service who dispatched a helicopter to collect the child at around 1:43 p.m. ACQ CQ arrived on scene landing the helicopter on the beach and retrieved the girl from…