NSW shark attacks: Fatalities and injuries from 2021-2023 revealed
Shark attack injuries and fatalities have devastated New South Wales in the past three years. Here’s a look at the most recent — and deadly — shark attacks across the state.
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The number of shark attacks in Australia has doubled over the past two decades — and New South Wales has had its fair share of shocking incidents.
On August 25, surfer Toby Begg suffered critical and catastrophic injuries in a shark attack in the Port Macquarie region.
Since 2021, there has been 14 reported incidents of injuries due to shark attacks in NSW, with an additional three fatalities during that time period.
The three people who died were all attacked by great white sharks, with two deaths in 2021 and another in 2022.
As we head into the warmer summer months, here’s a look back at the most recent — and deadly — shark attacks across the state.
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AUGUST 2023
A surfer suffered catastrophic leg injuries after fighting off a great white shark, some 4m long, at a Port Macquarie beach.
Toby Begg, 44, was mauled by a shark on Friday, August 25 while surfing about 150m off Lighthouse Beach.
He suffered significant injuries to his lower leg, where is it understood his foot was bitten off, and substantial blood loss in the attack.
Once the surfer made it to shore an off-duty doctor and other surfers applied a tourniquet until paramedics arrived.
His family released an update the following day on social media saying doctors were still assessing the full extent of the damage.
His brother-in-law, Chris Lenihan, said his injuries are “extremely serious and life-changing”.
Shark biologists assessed photographs of the bite marks on the surfboard and determined the shark responsible for the attack was likely a great white shark measuring in between 3.8m and 4.2m.
FEBRUARY 2022
British expat Simon Nellist was killed by a great white shark while swimming at Little Bay.
The 35-year-old was just 150m away from the beach at Buchan Point, near Little Bay, when the predator struck in the first fatal attack in Sydney for almost 60 years.
Shark experts later confirmed a 4.5m great white was responsible for his death.
His devastated fiancee Jessie Ho paid tribute to her “soulmate”, saying her was “one of a kind, and he was generous and selfless”.
DECEMBER 2022
A 15-year-old boy was bitten in the lower leg by a shark while swimming the creek at the mouth of Killick Creek at Crescent Head in December.
MAY 2021
Former pilot Mark Sanguinetti, of Bilgola Plateau, was attacked by a 4.5m great white shark while surfing at Tuncurry Beach.
He had been surfing with mates while holidaying on the state’s mid-north coast when the horrific attack occurred.
Mr Sanguinetti was hailed a hero for yelling out a warning to his friends as he was struck by the massive shark.
Well-known across the northern beaches community as an avid surfer, Mr Sanguinetti, had two daughters Jemima and Bella, who described him as “a truly special soul. A kind and generous, thoughtful man, friend and father”.
JULY 2021
Surfer Joe Hoffman was mauled by a 3m great white shark while paddling in waters off Crescent Head in July.
The shark bit Hoffman on the arm, leaving him with a severe laceration to his bicep and a two-foot bite mark on his board.
Hoffman managed to paddle his way to shore before six local surfers carried him to a nearby park and fastened a makeshift tourniquet around his arm with the leg rope from his board to stop the bleeding.
SEPTEMBER 2021
A 31-year-old male died after he was bitten on the arm and shoulder by a great white shark while surfing at Emerald Beach, on the state’s north coast.
Paramedics were called to Shelly Beach, at Emerald Beach north of Coffs Harbour, shortly before 11am on September 5 but despite their efforts to save his life, Timothy Thompson died at the scene.
His wife Kate, who was pregnant at the time, issued a heartbreaking message to her husband and father of her child.
“I promise to tell our baby everyday how amazing their daddy was, how you never spoke a bad word about anybody, how kind and caring you were and most importantly how much you loved that little bubba growing in my tummy,” she said at the time.
SHARK ATTACK INJURIES AND FATALITIES IN NSW
Originally published as NSW shark attacks: Fatalities and injuries from 2021-2023 revealed
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