Speaking of picky eaters....................not

[Scanr1]

Shark Bites Australian Snorkeler in Half
By ROD McGUIRK, Associated Press Writer

Sunday, March 20, 2005


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(03-20) 11:10 PST CANBERRA, Australia (AP) --


Authorities were hunting Sunday for a 20-foot shark that tore a man in half as he snorkeled off Australia's west coast, an official said.


Geoffrey Brazier, the skipper of a pleasure cruiser, was snorkeling with two tourists when he was attacked Saturday. He died instantly off the Abrolhos Islands, about 250 miles north of the Western Australia state capital, Perth, police said. No one else was injured.


"The 26-year-old man was bitten in half by the six-meter (20-foot) animal and death seemed to be instantaneous," police Insp. George Putland said.


An air and sea search of the area 37 miles west of the coastal town of Geraldton Sunday failed to find the shark or human remains.


Government fisheries officer Rory McAuley said authorities wanted to kill the shark, suspected to be either a great white or tiger, to safeguard the public.


Residents of the area said the killer was far larger than sharks usually found there. The attack was the first to occur off the west coast since two sharks killed a 29-year-old surfer south of Perth in July.


The 13 crew and passengers disembarked Sunday at Geraldton where they were questioned by authorities.


The fatality is the first in Australian waters since December, when an 18-year-old surfer was bitten in half by a 16-foot great white shark off a beach in the southern city of Adelaide. A week earlier, a shark killed a 38-year-old diver spear fishing on the Great Barrier Reef off northeast Australia.

[CalHunter]

Is it just me or do all of these shark attacks where people are bitten in half sound like a really obvious clue not to swim, surf, scuba dive, etc. in the ocean around Australia?

[vc1111]

Government fisheries officer Rory McAuley said authorities wanted to kill the shark, suspected to be either a great white or tiger, to safeguard the public.

Now why would you kill the thing for doing what is was born to do.....eat.

If you run around in Africa, you might become lion food, right?

[Scanr1]

ORIGINAL: CalHunter

Is it just me or do all of these shark attacks where people are bitten in half sound like a really obvious clue not to swim, surf, scuba dive, etc. in the ocean around Australia?

That is what I thought.

[tardfarmer]

Is it just me or do all of these shark attacks where people are bitten in half sound like a really obvious clue not to swim, surf, scuba dive, etc. in the ocean around Australia?

Not just that, but they have Box Jelly fish that come out per force every year, and every year at the same time they put several people in the hospital or worse.

Wonder if it's the Fosters?

[Deerslayer_37]

I disagree with killing these big boys because they're eating stuff. I mean, if you have the IQ of a rock and you want to go swimming in shark infested waters, go for it. Just don't call me for help. Just goes to show you that evolution is awful slow for some people..

slayer

[North Texan]

I fish a lot. I notice bullfrogs very seldom venture out past the weeds into water deep enough to hold fish. When they do venture out into deep water, they make it a point not to loiter long. The ones that do risk getting slammed by a bass. I figure in something as big as the ocean, with fish reaching 20 feet in length, I'd be tempting fate just like those bull frogs if I ventured out in the ocean.

[CalHunter]

Wonder if it's the Fosters?

You mean the sharks are jealous and want to get a Fosters vicariously?

[Coastie]

ORIGINAL: Deerslayer_37

I disagree with killing these big boys because they're eating stuff. I mean, if you have the IQ of a rock and you want to go swimming in shark infested waters, go for it. Just don't call me for help. Just goes to show you that evolution is awful slow for some people..

slayer

They don't kill them because they are "Eating Stuff" they are killed because they are killing people. Shark attacks are going to happen and people are going to die, that is a given. Most divers, inspite of the fact that they are the ones most frequently attacked by sharks, do not support the wholesale slaughter of sharks, quite the contrary they are in the fore front of most organizations attempting to save those that remain. A 6 meter Great White is exceedingly rare and worth saving if possible. Perhaps at some time a policy will be set in place that sharks that have killed will not be hunted, but for now that's what happens.

[tardfarmer]

Most divers, inspite of the fact that they are the ones most frequently attacked by sharks,

I thought it was surfers because when they're paddling out to catch a wave their hands and feet over the edge of the board make them look like Seal - one of their favorite prey items