South Australia tops global list of fatal shark attacks in 2023
South Australia topped a global list of fatal shark attacks in 2023, giving us the unenviable title of the most dangerous waters in the world.
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South Australia has topped a global list for shark attack fatalities, making the state’s waters the most dangerous spot in the world.
Australia recorded a “disproportionate” 40 per cent of deaths worldwide last year, with surfers found to be most at risk.
New research from the University of Florida shows that while Australia had less than half the number of unprovoked shark bites than the US in 2023 – with 15 compared to 36 – it had twice the number of fatalities, with four compared to two in the US. There were 10 fatal shark attacks in the world last year.
Of the four fatal attacks in Australia last year, three of them were in SA.
Of Australia’s 15 unprovoked shark bites, seven occurred in Western Australia, with one bull shark attack proving fatal.
Five attacks were in South Australia, three of which were fatal, and one attack was recorded each in Queensland, New South Wales and Tasmania last year.
Director of the Florida Museum of Natural History’s shark research program Dr Gavin Naylor said the number of fatalities in 2023 was “a bit unnerving”.
Surfers in Australian waters copped the brunt of fatal bites globally.
Two fatalities in 2023 – Simon Baccanello at Walkers Rocks in May and Tod Gendle at Granite Rock in October – occurred in waters off SA’s Eyre Peninsula.
A third death – Murray Adams at Blacks Beach – occurred early this year off Elliston on the Eyre Peninsula and was not among the data analysis of 2023 shark attacks.
Dr Naylor said the Eyre Peninsula was known for its remote, wild beaches, seal colonies and was home to “a high density” of great white sharks.
With phenomenal surf breaks, the location was “an alluring spot for surfers”, he said.
“If a white shark is going after a seal and the seal knows it, the white shark hasn’t got a chance,” Dr Naylor said.
“Seals are really agile, so the only ones that get caught are the ones that are goofing off and flopping around on the surface minding their own business. And that’s kind of what a surfer looks like.”
The third shark attack death in SA waters in 2023 was that of Khai Cowley, 15, at Ethel Beach on the Yorke Peninsula in December.
Surfers suffered 42 per cent of shark bites worldwide, with swimmers and waders a close second at 39 per cent, The Florida Museum of Natural History’s International Shark Attack File (ISAF) report notes.
There were 14 confirmed shark-related fatalities globally, ten of which were labelled unprovoked, it says.
“This number is higher that the five-year annual global average of six unprovoked fatalities per year. Three of the unprovoked fatalities were due to bites from (great) white sharks on surfers in Australia,” the report states.
“Ten of the past year’s unprovoked attacks (globally) were fatal, up from five the year before, with a disproportionate number occurring in Australia. Although the country accounted for 22 per cent of all attacks, it made up 40 per cent of fatalities.”
The ISAF report says the rise in the number of fatalities due to great white sharks could reflect “the consequence of increasing number of white sharks seen at aggregation sites near beaches, that are increasingly popular with surfers – particularly in Australia”.
Year-to-year variability in oceanographic conditions can influence the abundance of sharks in the water, while weather patterns can affect the number of humans in the ocean, it says.
The ISAF – a scientific database of global shark attacks – states there were 69 unprovoked bites throughout the world in 2023.
Besides Australia, shark fatalities occurred in the U.S. (two), the Bahamas, Egypt, Mexico and New Caledonia (one in each country).
Other confirmed, non-fatal bites occurred in Costa Rica, Colombia, Brazil, New Zealand, Seychelles, Turks and Caicos, Ecuador (in The Galápagos Islands) and South Africa.
While the ISAF documents and investigates all bites on humans by sharks, its annual report focuses primarily on unprovoked attacks, it says.
“These are defined as any instance in which a shark is in its natural habitat and attacks without any human provocation, which includes intentionally approaching a shark or swimming in an area where bait is being used to lure fish. Unprovoked bites are the most useful for studying how sharks behave.”
Shark researcher Joe Miguez said beach safety in Australia was “fantastic”.
“However, if you go to remote regions where beach safety isn’t in place, there is a higher risk of a fatal shark attack. This is because when an attack happens and there is beach safety, you can get a tourniquet on sooner and save the person’s life. So, the solution isn’t to not surf, it’s to surf in areas where there’s a good beach safety program in place,” he said.
This February marks the 50th anniversary of the book Jaws and “notably, the number of recorded white shark bites have increased precipitously over the last few decades”, the report says.
“This pattern isn’t due to increased aggression from white sharks, but rather a combination of more of people being in the ocean each year and a stronger emphasis placed on reporting bites and fatalities,” it says.
The vast majority of unprovoked attacks by sharks were “test bites”, which occurred when a shark mistook a human for their preferred prey, the researchers said.
When this happened, the shark would typically swim away after a single bite.
But some species like great whites, bull and tiger sharks were big and powerful enough for even a single “test bite” to be fatal.
“Unusual incidents when a shark continues biting their victim, rather than swimming away, have been documented with tiger sharks, bull sharks and white sharks.”
SA SHARK ATTACKS
Simon Baccanello: Walkers Rocks, Elliston – May 13, 2023
A surfer has told of the horrifying moment a shark attack victim’s surfboard “tombstoned” as he was dragged underwater in a great white attack off the West Coast town of Elliston.
Popular local teacher Simon Baccanello, 46, was killed in the attack, which happened at the popular local beach of Walkers Rocks.
Emergency services could not locate Mr Baccanello’s body.
Pam Cook: Beachport – October 2, 2023
When Pam Cook felt something grab her ankle on her regular beach swim, she didn’t think the next moments would be a struggle for her life.
“When I looked around, the shark was having a piece of me,” Ms Cook said.
Beachport shark attack survivor Ms Cook, 64, spoke to The Advertiser about her harrowing experience for the first time since a juvenile great white bit her, leaving her with serious injuries requiring more than 200 stitches.
Ms Cook was seriously injured when a juvenile great white shark, with jaws “the width of a basketball”, attacked her during a daily swim with about 20 friends near Beachport jetty, at 7.45am on October 2.
Tod Gendle: Granite Rock – October 31, 2023
Tod Gendle, 55 was killed in a frenzied attack near Granite Rock, close to Streaky Bay on October 31.
Mr Gendle’s friends and other surfers watched in horror as the giant predator savaged him at about 10.20am, dragging him under water.
Bridgette O’Shannessy: Port Noarlunga Beach – November 10, 2023
Bridget O’Shannessy, 32, was mauled in the head and face by a shark near the popular Port Noarlunga jetty on November 10 just after 1.20pm.
Witnesses described how the woman’s face was gushing with blood after a shark attack caused the evacuation of the packed metropolitan beach.
She was treated at the scene for a period of time then rushed to the Flinders Medical Centre.
Khai Cowley: Ethel Beach, Yorke Peninsula – December 28, 2023
Khai Cowley, 15, was killed in a shark attack at a popular tourist location on the Yorke Peninsula on December 28.
The Advertiser understands the boy, who usually surfs near Seaford on the mid coast south of Adelaide, was on a day trip in the area with his father.
The Advertiser also understands his dad witnessed the incident.
The teen’s body was recovered from the water at 1.30pm after he was killed.
Murray Adams: Blacks Beach, Elliston – January 9, 2024
Murray Adams, 64, was surfing a few hundred metres off the coastline when the shark attacked him about 1pm on January 9 this year.
Despite bleeding heavily, Mr Adams, with assistance from others, made his way to the local Elliston Hospital and was later flown to the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
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