14-year-old boy killed in shark attack
A 14-year-old boy has been killed in a shark attack off the coast of South Australia.
It happened near Ethel Beach, close to Innes National Park, about 1.30pm Thursday on the state’s Yorke Peninsula.
“Sadly the body of a teenage boy was recovered from the water,” an SA Police spokesperson said.
“Yorke Mid North Police, Detectives and Crime Scene Investigators attended at the scene.”
Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
Seven News reports the boy was 30m to 40m offshore when he was mauled.
The 450m long Ethel Beach is a popular surf and tourist spot with a sealed access road.
The Advertiser reported the boy was 14 and a tourist to the area, which is about 300km from Adelaide by car.
A local fisherman has told the newspaper large sharks in nearby waters isn’t uncommon.
“We’ve seen some pretty big bronzies in the area, but that’s normal here,” he said.
“I went to take the boat out and the road to Ethel’s was blocked by rangers. There’s no cell reception out there in the park so we didn’t know what had happened until we got back to Marion Bay.”
The area has seen a boom in population due to the busy Christmas holiday period.
Marion Bay resident and surfer Luke Sykora told the ABC the attack was a “tragic incident.”
“I have a seen a fair few sharks here over 22 years but that is the first fatal attack that we’ve had down here,” he said.
“I wouldn’t wish it upon anyone … to even be at the same beach at the same time.
“I think the town would be mourning – I think it’s very sad and very tragic and a bit of an eye-opener.”
It’s the fifth shark attack in South Australian waters in 2023, three of which were fatal.
In May, teacher Simon Baccanello was believed to have been killed by a shark while surfing at Walkers Rock near Ellison on the west coast.
A witness says he saw a shark drag Mr Baccanello underwater.
On October 31, surfer Tod Gendle was killed by a shark while he was surfing near Streaky Bay, with a monster 4m great white thought to be the culprit.
Several people have also suffered serious injuries in attacks.
On October 2, swimmer Pam Cook was mauled by a shark during her regular morning dip at the small seaside town of Beachport.
On November 10, diver Bridgette O’Shannessy was mauled by a shark at Port Noarlunga.
The shark attacked her face and she went through two rounds of surgery at Flinders Medical Centre.
South Australian authorities brought forward aerial beach patrols two weeks earlier than planned in mid November following the spate of attacks.
The move followed public calls for greater protections for swimmers, with Surf Life Saving SA and the South Australian Greens pushing for more measures.
South Australia, unlike NSW and Queensland, does not use drum lines, nets or tagging to manage sharks.
SLSSA chief executive Damien Marangon said the government should consider a tracking and surveillance program and the Greens advocate subsidising shark deterrent devices, which swimmers wear in the water.
Other states have also suffered attacks.
In August, NSW surfer Toby Begg suffered life-changing injuries when he was mauled by a shark near Port Macquarie.
Shark biologists have assessed photographs of the bite marks on Mr Begg’s surfboard and determined the shark responsible for the attack was likely a great white measuring between 3.8m and 4.2m.
And in December, Italian backpacker Matteo Mariotti, 20, by a shark off the coast of Queensland which led to his leg being partially amputated.
He had been snorkelling at 1770 Beach, 130km south of Gladstone, on Friday December 8 when he was attacked.
