19 year old Michal du Plessis was surfing with friends at about 11 am on February 16th 2010 when he was attacked by a shark. He reported being face to face with the animal after it had bitten him and knocked him off of his surf board. The victim believed the animal was a great white of approximately 3 meters in length. The attack occurred off the east coast of southern Africa near the Yellowsands Resort.
Mr. Plessis was able to catch a wave back to shore where his friends quickly took over. They used a surf board leash as a tourniquet and quickly got medical assistance. Despite massive blood loss Mr. Plessis will survive. He was treated at Life St Dominic’s Hospital.
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60 year old Patricia Trumbull was attacked by a two meter long shark while snorkeling about 200-300 meters from shore of Dent Island (Whitsunday Isands near the Great Barrier Reef) with friends. The shark was probably a reef or bronze whaler. She suffered severe lacerations to her thigh and buttocks. She was treated at Mackay Base Hospital.
During the attack she punched the shark repeatedly until it finally released her.
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48 year old Paul Welsch was surfing with his son when he was bitten by a wobbegong shark. Wobbegong sharks are docile and are not known to attack humans. The species was positively identified using a fragment of tooth found in Mr. Welsch. Based on the tooth fragment it is estimated that the shark was about 1.6 meters in length. It is considered likely that Mr. Welsch inadvertently stepped on the shark.
The bite occurred at Sydney’s Mona Vale beach at about 8 AM.
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38 year old Stephen Schafer was attacked and killed by one or more sharks on February 3rd, 2010. He was kite surfing about a quarter mile from the shore of Stuart Florida in the afternoon. Lifeguard Daniel Lund spotted My. Schafer and went into the water to assist him. As he approached My. Schafer he saw at least three sharks circling him. He was able to paddle the victim to shore. Mr. Schafer later died from massive blood loss. He suffered two bites, one to his buttocks, and one deep wound that went to the bone on his leg. He also suffered wounds to his hand which likely occurred while trying to defend himself.
The most likely species for the attack is a bull shark or a tiger shark but there is no confirmation on what the species was.
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Fourteen year old New Zealander Lydia Ward was bitten by a shark while boogie boarding at Oreti Beach. Oreti Beach is in New Zealand near the city of Invercargill. She felt something brush against her leg and then latch on to her hip. When she realized the animal wasn’t letting go she beat it with her boogie board. The animal let go and she calmly went to shore. She suffered minor cuts.
The time of day, water conditions, and shark species were not mentioned.
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Ashley Ramage was surfing with his son at Archie’s Beach near Bargara at about 4:30 PM on Wednesday January 30th, 2010 when he was attacked by a shark. He was in chest deep water at the time. Many shark attacks happen in murky water but the water was reported to be crystal clear. It appears as though he suffered no injuries. Mr. Ramage identified the shark as a silky shark.
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54 year old Autralian Michael Geraghty was attacked by a shark while surfing at Umm Suqeim Beach in Dubai. The shark bit his foot knocking him off of his board. The time of day wasn’t specified other than “evening.” He was treated at Rashid Hospital. The type of shark was unknown and shark attacks in the Arabian Gulf are extremely rare.
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Dr. Pat Lockie was bitten by a shark on January 23rd, 2010 at Thirteenth Beach in Australia. He was surfing about 100 meters from shore when he felt something nudge his leg. He reached for his leg and ended up with his hand in the mouth of what he believed to be a tiger shark. The bite occurred at about 7:30 AM. Dr. Lockie shouted for help. Nearby surfers urged him to get back on his board and assisted him in doing so. He then paddled back to shore and sought medical attention.
He was treated at Geelong’s St John of God Hospital – where he is the medical director.
His age was not published in the articles I found.
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Mr. Skinner, a tourist, was about neck deep in the water when he was first attacked. Witnesses say the shark came back three times before pulling him under the water. The shark responsible is believed to be a great white. No remains of Mr. Skinner were found after two days of searching.
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9 year old Reenie Morrissey was bitten by a white tip reef shark while snorkeling with friends and family. The 1 meter long shark circled her first and then bit her knee twice. She suffered cuts and will be fine.
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