A Great White Shark swims past a diving cage off Gansbaai about 200 kilometres east of Cape Town
A Great White Shark swims past a diving cage off Gansbaai about 200 kilometres east of Cape Town. Hunted to the brink of extinction in the 1970's and 1980's, the Great White is now a protected specis in many parts of the world. In South Africa shark cage diving forms a growing business in the eco- and adventure tourism industries. Reuters/Ho New

A shark attack at Fishery Bay left a surfer in critical condition. The incident took place around 40 kilometres south of Port Lincoln.

According to police, the 26-year-old victim was surfing around 350 metres offshore from Port Lincoln National Park. The shark attack took place before around 10:00 a.m. The man sustained serious injuries in the leg. The Ambulance Service reported that the man required resuscitation. The man was taken to Port Lincoln Hospital. Later, the MedSTAR helicopter took him to Royal Adelaide Hospital.

According to an onlooker’s statement, it was a six-metre shark with massive pectoral fin. He said that he was around 50 metres away when the shark came and bit the man’s leg off. When the shark went out to the ocean, the onlooker said that it still had the man’s leg.

Wildcatch Fisheries SA chairman Jonas Woolford said that there had been a number of sightings just recently at a number of locations along the coast near to Fishery Bay. According to him, the sightings have indicated that the sharks have been aggressive.

"It's been reported that there hasn't been many for about 10 or so weeks, so whether those ones that have been laying low are now coming back to the areas which they normally frequent and they may be rather hungry,” Woolford said. According to Woolford, humans are very slow in the water so are easy prey

“It's only a theory that they may be rather hungry, that they all probably all got fairly freaked out by the killer whales that have been laying very low, so now they might be surfacing again,” he said as he reminded that killer whales had scared off great white sharks in the area earlier in 2015. Woolford added that there had been more sightings around just recently.

Julie Low, the Mayor of the District Council of Lower Eyre Peninsula, said that it was a shame that such an incident had taken place in such “a beautiful place.” According to her, it is a very popular surfing spot for the local Port Lincoln people. She extended her sympathy for the victim and his family and friends.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au

RELATED STORIES