Tuncurry shark attack: Mark Sanguinetti, of Bilgola Plateau, named as victim
Tributes have flowed for a northern beaches man who died after he was bitten by a shark on the Mid-North Coast.
Mid-North Coast
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The daughters of the northern beaches surfer killed by a 4.5m great white shark on the Mid-North Coast have said the 59-year-old former pilot is “home now, in the ocean and in our hearts”.
The heartfelt tribute came as Mark Sanguinetti, of Bilgola Plateau, was identified as the victim of Tuesday’s shark attack at Tuncurry Beach.
Well-known across the beaches as an avid surfer, Mr Sanguinetti, had two daughters Jemima and Bella and had long separated from their mother.
A written tribute from his girls shared online yesterday described Mr Sanguinetti as “a truly special soul. A kind and generous, thoughtful man, friend and father.
“He saw the light within everyone and every situation.
“He’s home now, in the ocean and in our hearts and he’ll be riding the waves of life with us forever.”
Mark Sanguinetti, 59, a former pilot, was an avid surfer and well known across the northern beaches.
A friend of Mr Sanguinetti, who used to live in the same street as him, said he was a “mad surfer”, a “lovely, lovely man and his daughters were totally and utterly his world”.
The 50-year-old mum said he was a handsome, fit guy and his life was “all about his girls and his dog”.
In a tribute online, Mr Sanguinetti was remembered by another friend as a “kind and gentle man”, who “just loved the ocean”.
A paddle-out has been organised in his honour at Palm Beach next Tuesday at 4.30pm.
Meanwhile, four sharks have been captured and released off the Mid-North Coast, one day after a surfer was fatally mauled at the same beach on Tuesday.
The Department of Primary Industries confirmed four great white sharks had been caught, tagged and released on Wednesday morning at Tuncurry and Forster Main beaches.
But, authorities don’t believe any of the animals are the 4.5m great white shark believed to have attacked Ms Sanguinetti at Tuncurry on Tuesday.
“The four white sharks that have been caught, tagged and released this morning were two 2.5m white sharks at Main Beach Forster, and 2.3m and 2.43m sharks at Tuncurry Beach,” a DPI spokesperson said.
“The shark involved in yesterday’s incident was estimated to be 4.5m in length.”
Lower North Coast Surf Life Saving President Brian Wilcox said on such a beautiful day, you would never expect something so tragic to have happened.
“It’s certainly out of the blue and on such a beautiful day you just dont expect something like this,” he said.
“Our condolences to the family.”
Hunter Burns, 18, witnessed Mr Sanguinetti being carried out of the water and on to the sand.
He said he and his friends are shocked by the situation, and the news of Mr Sanguinetti’s death.
“It’s very sad,” he said.
“I watched him on the beach when it happened and he looked unconscious.
“Everyone’s pretty shook up ... it’s pretty shocking that this has happened. I’m sure when the beach is back open they’ll [my mates] be back out there.
His horrifying final moments were made clear by a witness, Daryl, who described what happened in not one, but two attacks, the great white shark made on Mr Sanguinetti.
‘The shark came out of the water, just smashed him, five seconds later he came round and hit him again,’ Daryl told 7News.
Cab driver Robert Dyer said the whole community is feeling the affect of his death.
“Being a holiday destination the whole community is very sad,” he said.
“The man has just come up to enjoy some time with friends. My condolences to the family.”
As authorities work out the best way to deter future shark fatalities in the area following Tuesday’s attack, locals are divided over how to safeguard the region’s waters from more tragedies occurring.
Long-time surfboard maker and Tuncurry businessman Rod Rose was out surfing 500 metres from The Tuncurry Beach attack just 30 minutes before it happened.
A man who knows the water better than most, Mr Rose was surfing in an isolated stretch of beach not far from the scene which tragically claimed the life of the Sydney man about 11.20am.
It was only work commitments that dragged him in to shore, otherwise he’d have been there all day.
For a man that make’s a living selling and shaping surfboards, he’s aware of the repercussions that come with surfing and the risks of sharing the water with sharks.
There’s no easy fix in his eyes to safeguarding swimmers from the ocean’s apex predator, but can see the merit in trying to put measures in place, such as drum lines, to help.
“The negative part I see about the implementation of drum lines is that the catch the shark and tag it but they don’t take it that far away,” he said.
“The sharks tend to follow the boat back in.
“There’s a couple of boats out in the harbour this morning. It sounds good, it’s just a hard one to know whether it works.”
Manufacturers have been supplying products to help deter sharks in recent times when out in the water.
He said there’s a few experimental devices he’s seen, such as shark shields, that attaches to the back of your board.
It’s like an electronic device that switches on and off and on to repel sharks. There’s also an anti puncture mesh which is being built now into wet suits.
“I mean the teeth might still crush your bones, but it won’t puncture you,” he said.
“A couple of guys believe that if you put eyes with two big circles on the bottom of your board, that deters them too.
“But as soon as a shark gets as close like the one apparently did yesterday, I think you’re in trouble.
He thinks drones are the best and safest method for spotting and warning people.
“Drones are the best for picking them up. The lifesavers are using them a bit more, and they can’t stay up all the time though.”
In the wake of Tuesday’s attack, the NSW Department of Primary Industry and Fisheries said it was deploying SMART drumlines at Tuncurry Beach as part of its Shark Incident Response Plan.
“DPI is assisting NSW Police and Surf Life Saving NSW to monitor the area and provide technical advice and resources as required,” a DPI spokeswoman said.
“Drones have been deployed in the area.
“NSW DPI shark scientists have analysed photographs of the bite and determined a white shark of approximately 4.5 metres in length is likely responsible for the bite.
Tourism operator Rob Jeffress said the drum line narrative might not necessarily sit too well with some locals who advocate strongly for shark protection.
“The drum lines don’t really fit with the local values and I can understand that. There’s a real sense that they have got a right to be here too,” he said.
“I know a lot of the locals wouldn’t necessarily feel comfortable with that.
“As a tourist operator, we respect that too. We want to make the water a lot safer and whether that’s drones, or whether that’s nets that seems to be an option as long as they’re regularly checked.”
Many have been suggesting that Tuesday’s incident was perpetrated by an increased amount of shark bait in the water – which locals are well aware of.
“I guess the regulars know that there when there is a lot of mullet in the water, they tell you to stay away.
Tuncurry resident Kellie Hilder said her daughter Chloe had stopped surfing at the beach due to recent shark sightings.
“For the past six months she’s been too scared to go out there,” Ms Hilder said.
“There are so many sharks she’s given up surfing.”
Ms Hilder said Tuesday’s shark attack was upsetting but not unexpected.
“It’s just sad, very sad for the family,” she said.
“I’m really grateful my daughter was not in the water at this time.”
Beaches from Black Head to Forster Main on the Mid-North Coast remain closed, as authorities continue to scour for the shark responsible.
A bystander who tried desperately to revive the man as he lay on the beach in the minutes after the attack said the incident felt as if it happened in slow motion.
“It was a blur,” the woman, who did not want to be named, said.
“(It) seemed to be forever (we were) waiting for paramedics to arrive and take over.
“My mate saw the attack and I got on the scene just after his friends brought him out of the water.
“A local took on CPR and rang for assistance. I did some CPR along with a few others.”
A report into the man’s death will be prepared for the coroner.
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