Now this is a story that will truly not make you want to go back in the water.
A young surfer lost his leg in a grisly shark attack in Perth, Australia and seeing how big the Great White that did the deed is will haunt your swimming plans for the rest of the summer. Estimated at 14-feet, the shark had reportedly been seen swimming off multiple beaches in the area before the attack took place. According to witnesses that were in the water with Ben Gerring and later cared for him on the beach while waiting for emergency services, the leg was taken off above the knee. Sadly, he died on Friday from his injuries. Only a few weeks ago he and his fiancé found out they were expecting a baby.
As for the shark supposedly responsible for the deed, it may have already met a sad end. Authorities caught an animal of about the same size on a drum line the next morning and it died on the line shortly after. While they don’t know whether or not the shark that was killed is the same one that took Ben’s leg, the locals sure do seem happy about having at least one shark answer for the incident. Without bringing up the ethics of catching and killing a beautiful and healthy Great White before identifying its level of responsibility in eating somebody’s leg, this all could have been avoided if the beaches were closed after the original sighting. If existing safety measures aren’t being used in the first place, then the shark’s death is even more senseless.
Beaches have been closed now, due to both Gerring’s attach and the death of another diver in recent days. A woman was scuba-diving in the same area that Ben was surfing when her comrade saw something go by him and a major commotion. When he surfaced, she was gone and he scrambled back into his own boat. The authorities say in this case that although the attack was not actually witnessed she died from injuries consistent from just such an event. This shark was estimated at 18-feet long, which is insane to think about. If these attacks are all the same shark, then the legend will only grow from here until it is caught and beaches are safe again.
(via The Lad Bible & BBC)
