# Shark Stats



## petanquedon (May 27, 2008)

BRISBANE, AAP - Shark attacks in Australia in the past 200 years:

STATE - ATTACKS- FATAL ATTACKS - LAST FATAL ATTACK 
NSW - 254 - 73 - 2008 Ballina 
QLD - 234 - 72 - 2006 North Stradbroke Island 
VIC - 36 - 7 - 1977 Mornington Peninsula 
SA - 49 - 19 - 2005 Glenelg Beach 
WA - 87 - 13 - 2005 Houtman Abrolhos Island 
NT - 12 - 3 - 1938 Bathurst Island 
TAS - 21 - 5 - 1993 Tenth Is, Georgetown 
Total - 693 - 192

(Source: Australian Shark Attack File)
RECENT FATAL SHARK ATTACKS IN AUSTRALIA 
* April 8, 2008: A 16-year-old boy from Wollongbar killed by a shark while bodyboarding off Ballina's Lighthouse Beach on the NSW north coast.
* January 7, 2006: Sarah Kate Whiley, 21, mauled by up to three bull sharks while swimming in waist-deep water with friends at Amity Point, off south-east Queensland's North Stradbroke Island.
* August 24, 2005: Marine biologist Jarrod Stehbens, 23, taken by a shark, believed to be a white pointer, while diving for cuttlefish eggs with colleagues off Adelaide's Glenelg Beach.
* March 19, 2005: Geoffrey Brazier, 26, attacked by a six-metre shark, believed to be a great white, as he snorkelled near the Abrolhos Islands, off Geraldton, 500km north of Perth.
* December 16, 2004: Nick Peterson, 18, killed instantly when attacked by a great white shark as he was towed behind a boat on a surfboard 300 metres off Adelaide's popular metropolitan West Beach.
* December 11, 2004: Mark Thompson, 38, attacked by a shark while spear fishing with two friends at Opal Reef, about 75km from Cairns in north Queensland. He died from a cardiac arrest soon after the attack.
* July 10, 2004: Brad Smith, 29, attacked by two sharks, believed to be a great white and a large bronze whaler, as he surfed near Gracetown in Western Australia's south-west.
* February 8, 2003: Bob Purcell, 84, attacked by a 2.5 metre bull whaler while swimming in Burleigh Lake on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
* December 16, 2002: Beau Martin, 23, attacked while swimming in Miami Lake on the Gold Coast in Queensland.
* April 30, 2002: Scallop diver Paul Buckland, 23, dragged from a mate's arms by a six-metre white pointer while trying to get on board a boat in Smoky Bay in the Great Australian Bight, South Australia. 
AAP dmc/lc/imc/mn 08-04 1605

Logically certain locations would have more sharks than others risk taking is a personal thing


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## Junglefisher (Jun 2, 2008)

Seems to be fairly consistent for the population of the states.


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## HoldYourHour (May 6, 2008)

192 Fatal attacks in in 200 years - sounds to me you are more danger driving to the coast than you are fishing it.

m.


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

They state the last attack in SA was at Glenelg beach. Being a big tourist and swimming hot spot I thought it would be appropriate to say that is was nowhere near the beach (as far as I know), I think it was at one of the artificial reefs offshore from the beach.


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## yankatthebay (Dec 14, 2007)

seems you should be more worried about your boat sinking, then you drowning; than to worry about shark attacks.


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## Brownie (Aug 15, 2007)

Here's some older stats I dug up from the web (1980 - 1990)

http://www.sydney100.com/snakes-spiders-sharks.htm



> The cast of Australian Villains
> 
> Australian Snakes, Sharks, Spiders and other nasties are responsible for ten of thousands of nightmares and spine tingles every week. Thankfully, the number of actual encounters, bites and fatalities is significantly less.
> 
> ...


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## petanquedon (May 27, 2008)

I think with statistics you also need to consider other factors.

For instance while a lot of people are killed in cars I would suggest that there would be many times more person hours per year spent travelling by motor vehicle than person hours spent on water sports.

On further analysis there are often high risk groups for car accidents excessive speed, drunk driving and fatigue increase you chances of having an accident significantly.

It seems with water sports that surfing and sailboarding put you in the high risk group for shark attack. However considering the smaller size of the sample there may be issues with sample size. Equally sailboarding is a recent activity and the number of sailboards 50 or more years ago would have been very low.

As I have stated before risk taking is a personal thing and depends on your situation for instance there are probably a lot more large sharks around Port Lincoln than West Lakes.

A shark shield for a kayaker near Port Lincoln may be worthwhile.

A shark shield for a kayaker in West Lakes would only offer value for the very risk adverse.

A shark shield for a kayaker in the Torrens Lake would only give value for the person who enjoys gadgets and is unlikely to make any difference to the chance of shark attack.


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## Big D (Apr 28, 2007)

petanquedon said:


> I think with statistics you also need to consider other factors.
> 
> For instance while a lot of people are killed in cars I would suggest that there would be many times more person hours per year spent travelling by motor vehicle than person hours spent on water sports.
> 
> ...


Well I won't put my SS on in the Torrens any more, but if something happens.....well I'm holding you responsible


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

The sharks wont get you in the torrens. It's the mutant goldfish the size of cars that will get you in the end ;-).


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## Davey G (Jan 15, 2006)

If you are scared about getting eaten by a shark, don't go near the water.

If you don't want skin cancer, stay out of the sun.

If you are worried about getting killed in a car crash, don't travel anywhere.

If you think that you'll get cancer, don't eat, drink or smoke anything.

Doesn't sound like much of a life though does it??


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## Big D (Apr 28, 2007)

I'm scared of getting eaten by a shark. I don't want skin cancer, any other type of cancer (which I've already had), or to get killed on the roads. So I take precautions to minimise the risk. I reckon a Shark Shield is just one of those factors.


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## Big D (Apr 28, 2007)

Oh yeah, and surprisingly I enjoy a fun and fulfilled life despite being so paranoid about sharks, the sun, the road, and cancer. ;-)


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## L3GACY (Sep 2, 2007)

Big D said:


> Oh yeah, and surprisingly I enjoy a fun and fulfilled life despite being so paranoid about sharks, the sun, the road, and cancer. ;-)


Only way to be, I mean Oxygen, the thing we need most of all will kill us eventually anyway. Something about oxidation or free-radicals....


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## fishydude (Dec 30, 2007)

L3GACY said:


> Big D said:
> 
> 
> > Oh yeah, and surprisingly I enjoy a fun and fulfilled life despite being so paranoid about sharks, the sun, the road, and cancer. ;-)
> ...


No way dude. Oxygen's not gonna get me. I aim planning to be shot dead by a 23 year old jealous husband when I'm seventy-five. :twisted: ;-) 
Seriously though there is more chance of dying of bee sting than shark attack overall but not if you are involved in one of the higher risk activities. Like great white dental hygienist for instance. :shock: :shock: Not because great whites are dangerous or anything....but because bees can't swim. ;-) 
Cheers
Mike


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## Guest (Sep 1, 2008)

We had a couple of shak attaks on surfers and kayakers around Byron last year. Last one- yesterday 31.08.08 attak on a surfer, but he just got kicked of his board ( witch got damaged), and was very shaken but pritty mutch unharmed.


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