64-year-old grandmother Pamela Cook attacked by shark at Beachport, in state’s South-East
Witnesses have told of the frantic moments after a 64-year-old woman was attacked by a shark at a popular SA beach, leaving her with multiple wounds.
SA News
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A grandmother and swimming enthusiast is lucky to be alive after a shark attacked her near one of the state’s most picturesque beaches during a public holiday morning swim.
Pamela Cook, 64, was seriously injured when a suspected juvenile great white shark attacked her during a daily swim with a dozen friends near Beachport jetty, at 7.45am on Monday.
Mrs Cook, a popular mother and grandmother, was in a stable condition in Mt Gambier Hospital on Monday night after emergency surgery.
Her husband and family, some of whom had travelled almost 400km from Adelaide to the seaside town near Robe for the long weekend, were maintaining a bedside vigil but were too distressed to publicly comment.
Relatives took to social media to express their shock and how reflecting on the incident “brings tears back”.
Witnesses told of their horror as the popular swimmer screamed in pain before struggling up a jetty ladder despite suffering deep cuts to her leg, arms and hands.
Shocked bystanders, alerted to the unfolding emergency from her screams, rushed to help her
out of the clear blue water and gave first aid, including using a t-shirt to stop the extensive bleeding.
Locals told how her friends, believed to belong to local swimming group, the Beachport Sea Urchins and Slugs, swam to a pantoon to escape the shark.
The attack, a rare incident in the cold waters, closed the picturesque beach, located 380km south-east of Adelaide, was closed on the public holiday Monday.
Ms Cook, a local hotel worker, is an avid member of swim group, which meets at the town’s rotunda at 7.30am daily.
Authorities frantically searched for the animal with boats and a drone but failed to locate it.
She was taken to Mount Gambier Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery.
SA Health said she was in a stable condition on Monday night.
CFS volunteer Bob Grive told The Advertiser workers at the Beachport jetty were already responding to the emergency when he was forced to abandon his breakfast to respond to the callout.
“We thought it might have been a medical episode in the water,” Mr Grieve said. “It’s a shocking thing to happen.”
Mr Grieve said he helped to put Ms Cook, a popular local, in a spinal board and that it was “lucky” that workers on the jetty had first aid equipment to hand while a first responder lived just 100 metres from the scene.
“She had pressure bandages and tourniquets on and her husband was there,” he said.
A friend of Ms Cook, David Snook, 76, said he thought it was risky to be swimming in the morning.
“When the sun is down that’s when sharks feed,” Mr Snook, who has known Ms Cook for 30 years, said.
Ms Cook is a “dedicated community person”, who is a “lovely lady,” Mr Snook said.
Mr Snook said the swimming group is well known in the community and that it would take “a major storm” to stop them from going out regularly.
“Some swim the length of the jetty,” he said.
“They’re all pretty fit.”
He said he was “often asked” to swim with them but declined.
“I think I’d be a bit cautious about dipping a toe in the water for a week or two,” Mr Snook said.
“It gives you a bit of a shock and it’ll be traumatic for them (Mr and Ms Cook).”
Maintenance worker Greg Rae told how he was one of the first people on the scene and applied a tourniquet to Ms Cook’s leg.
“We heard the lady calling out for help,” he said.
“There was a couple of ladies running in and they were covered in a bit of blood and they mentioned a shark attack.
“We immediately just jumped in, went and grabbed our trauma gear and first aid equipment and then responded.
“I was the one who grabbed the gear, ran out quite far out on the jetty, probably a couple of hundred metres.”
Mr Rae said Ms Cook had multiple wounds on her thigh and a cut on her hand.
“The big concern for me at the time was shock, so just keeping talking and keeping her assured she’s OK and we’ve got ambos coming.”
Ambulances arrived on the scene and took her to Mount Gambier Hospital where she underwent emergency surgery.
SA Health said she was in a stable condition.
Geoff Wells, the owner of the Beachport Hotel, told The Advertiser that Ms Cook is an employee of the hotel and swims at Beachport with the group every morning.
“She goes swimming every morning without fail … she’s swam every day for 20 years, except once, without fail,” he said.
Heather Burdon, who runs the local Facebook community group, said Ms Cook had been swimming as part of the local group for years.
“She’s a very strong swimmer … she would lead the group,” Ms Burdon said.
“They were a very tight knit group … they look out for each other and would be distraught.”
Ms Burdon said Ms Cook’s family came from Adelaide to visit her this weekend when the attack occurred.
“They would be traumatised,” she said.
Mr Wells said the quiet community had been rocked by the attack.
“Everyone’s a bit upset at the moment,” he said.
“We’re only a small community and we’re all in a bit of shock. I’ve been here for eight years and nothing like this has happened before.”
A local said the swimmers were a “wonderful group of ladies” who would gather together at Waterfront Cafe at the Jetty after their morning dip.
“They are a very close-knit group and it’s really going to hit them hard,” she said.
She said the jetty is a regular fishing spot.
Wattle Range Council Mayor Des Noll said his thoughts are with Ms Cook and her family at this time.
“Beachport and our community will wrap our arms around them and support them as best we can,” he said.
Mr Noll said “it’s really sad” to see a shark attack happening at the opening of the busy holiday period.
“This is the first for our community in a long time,” he said.
Mr Noll implored the community and visitors to remain aware while swimming in the water.
“The reality is we are sharing that space with sharks,” he said.
“If people are unsure and don’t feel safe then don’t enter the water.”
A State Emergency Service spokesman told The Advertiser that a drone had started searching the area for the shark at 11.30am on Monday.
“As of 11.35am it was in the air and they were still searching,” he said.
The spokesman said the search area is 800m off shore and 500m to the south of the jetty and 500m to the north.
The drone is currently searching the jetty’s north side.
The spokesman said he understood the shark was a juvenile great white.
While shark attacks are not unknown off the South-East coastline, they are more common around the gulfs and the West Coast.
An SA Surf Life Saving spokesperson said shark attacks are rare but warned swimmers to take precautions.
It warned beachgoers to swim close to the shore on patrolled beaches, avoid the water at dusk and dawn, swim with others and avoid areas with large schools of fish.
The Beachport beach was not patrolled at the time of the attack.
This attack comes after two sharks washed up on South Australian beaches last week.
Beachgoers at Henley came across a shark struggling onshore just a day after finding a dead shark at Grange on Thursday.
The attack comes just weeks after a shark attack at Port Macquarie in NSW left surfer Toby Begg fighting for his life in hospital and is the second shark attack in South Australia this year.
The first attack, which happened in Elliston, led to popular teacher Simon Baccanello, 46, losing his life.
In May this year the teacher was surfing at the popular beach when his surfboard “tombstoned” as he was dragged underwater by a great white shark.
He was remembered as a “remarkable man who was a true friend to everyone”.
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