Ballina shark attack: Beaches reopen after 2.6m great white attacks surfer

A MAN who was mauled in the leg by a great white shark in Ballina yesterday has spoken of his terrifying ordeal and what saved him.

A MAN who was mauled in the leg by a great white shark in Ballina has spoken of his terrifying ordeal — and what saved him.

Lee Jonsson, 43, was attacked while surfing at Shelly Beach just after 6am Queensland time yesterday.

Mr Jonsson told media he hadn’t even seen the shark until it hit him from the side.

“Just looked around and saw it coming back at me, got my board and just started spearing it,” he said.

Lee Jonsson, 43, was attacked while surfing at Shelly Beach, near Ballina From source: Twitter.

“I just was like spearing it into the water where I thought the shark would be.”

The Ballina primary school teacher is a father of two and has been surfing for about 30 years.

His friends that he had been surfing with helped him get to Ballina District Hospital after the attack.

He remains in a stable condition at Lismore Base Hospital with a 20cm wound on his left calf.

Mr Jonsson said as the attack happened he thought about his boys, adding “lightning doesn’t strike twice in the same place, hopefully.”

All beaches from South Ballina to Lennox Head were immediately closed for 24 hours. They have since reopened.

Mr Jonsson is reported to have undergone preliminary surgery to his wound and would have further surgery tomorrow.

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A spokesman from NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) said a 2.6m juvenile great white shark was responsible for the attack.

“DPI shark biologists have measured the shark tooth imprints on the surfboard and believe the shark involved was a juvenile White Shark of around 2.6 metres in total length,” the spokesman said.

“DPI will continue to work with NSW Police, Surf Life Saving NSW and the community to determine what action should be taken to minimise ongoing risk.”

Large shark teeth marks can be seen on Lee Jonsson's surfboard. Mr Jonsson was attacked at Ballina. Source: 7 News.

It is understood Mr Jonsson had just caught a wave and was paddling back to the line-up when the juvenile shark attacked, pulling him off his board.

He managed to fight the predator off using his surfboard before paddling into shore.

The attack happened on the same day the DPI had deployed SMART drum lines off Shelly Beach and adjacent beaches.

A DPI spokeswoman confirmed a third trial of shark nets was not planned for Northern NSW beaches, after a second trial finished in May.

DON’T SWIM WARNINGS AFTER QLD SHARK ATTACK

Shelly Beach, near Ballina, has reopened after a surfer was attacked by a 2.6m juvenile great white yesterday. Picture: Liana Turner

“There is no one solution or silver bullet when it comes to mitigating the risks of sharks to beach users, which is why the NSW Government uses several innovative approaches including SMART drum lines, aerial surveillance and VR4G listening stations to provide the most effective shark attack mitigation measures at NSW beaches.”

The man was attacked at the same beach where Japanese surfer Tadashi Nakahara was killed by a great white shark in 2015.

Later that same year, bodyboarder Mat Lee had both of his legs mauled by a great white shark on Lighthouse Beach, next to Shelly Beach.

From 2014 to 2016 there were 11 attacks on the NSW north coast.

Originally published as Ballina shark attack: Beaches reopen after 2.6m great white attacks surfer