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Another shark encounter has proved fatal in South Australia. This Thursday, a teenage boy was killed by a shark at Ethel Beach in the Innes National Park on the Yorke Peninsula. The attack is part of a recent uptick in shark encounters for the state.
Around 1:30 p.m., South Australia police responded to a report of someone being “seriously injured” at the popular surfing beach, ABC reported. The police later confirmed that the victim died from the attack and that a report is being prepared for the coroner. “Sadly the body of a teenage boy was recovered from the water,” police said in a statement.
Luke Sykora, a Marion Bay resident and surfer, told ABC that it was the first fatal attack in the area that he was aware of. Local resident Marty Goody added the encounter seems to be part of an overall rise in sharks in the area, saying, “I’ve been surfing down here for 40 years and there’s always been sharks and you’ve always known there’s sharks there, but there does seem to be a lot more of them now.”
The attack has been part of a recent spate of shark encounters in South Australia. Surfer Simon Baccanello was killed at Walkers Rock Beach near Elliston on Eyre Peninsula in May. In October, Tod Gendle was killed while surfing at Granites, a popular break south of Streaky Bay. That same month, Pam Cook was injured in the leg while swimming near the jetty at Beachport. Finally Bridgette O’Shannessy suffered serious injuries when she was bitten on the head near the jetty at Port Noarlunga in November.
