Sydney Harbour Shark attack

[KrispyKoala]

Sydney Harbour Shark attack diver loses hand
4 hours ago

SYDNEY (AFP) — An Australian navy diver who fought off a shark in a rare attack in Sydney Harbour was in high spirits despite losing a hand and facing the prospect of losing a leg, his family said Thursday.

Able Seaman Paul de Gelder, 31, was taking part in a defence exercise near an upmarket residential area of the harbour in Australia's largest city when he was attacked Wednesday.

"As a result of the attack Paul has lost his right hand above the wrist and may lose his right leg, however he is in high spirits," de Gelder's family said in a brief statement issued through the Australian Defence Force.

The family thanked surgeons at Sydney's St Vincent's Hospital and the fellow divers and paramedics who stabilised de Gelder after the attack and then rushed him to hospital.

The attack took place near the Garden Island Naval Base in Woolloomooloo Bay, which is lined with seafood restaurants and celebrity apartments.

The diver was taking part in a trial of new technologies to protect ports and ships from underwater attack but was on the surface when the shark struck, officials said.

A hospital spokeswoman said de Gelder was in a serious but stable condition after surgery.

Officals said Wednesday that he had punched the predator, believed to be a bull shark, before it swam away.

While shark attacks are not uncommon off Australia's vast coastline, experts said no one had been bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour for more than a decade and the last fatal attack was in 1963.

The diver's mauling follows a spate of attacks on swimmers off Australian beaches last month, sending a shiver through summer holidaymakers. Three swimmers were attacked and injured within 24 hours just two weeks after a snorkeller was killed.

But, with 194 deaths through shark attacks recorded in Australia over the past two centuries, researchers point out endlessly that more people die from bee stings and lightning strikes.

www.google.com/hostednews/afp/article/ALeqM5jMSpO8qnFJWSyXNt8S6gT2e8INAQ

[KrispyKoala]

Yikes, Just as I was posting 1st story, this comes over news


Swimmer attacked by shark on Bondi beach

Peter Hawkins and Dylan Welch
February 12, 2009 - 8:47PM
26 minutes ago. | Livenews.com.au 0


A man has fallen victim to what's believed to be a shark attack off Bondi beach just after 7.30pm this evening.

Off duty doctors managed to stem the bleeding, before the victim was rushed to St Vincent's hospital in a stable condition.

"The 23-year-old man was surfing the southern end of Bondi Beach when he was bitten on the arm," said Blake Clifton from police headquarters.

"He cried for help, several other surfers have come to his aid and assisted him to shore.

The attack comes only 36 hours after a naval diver was mauled off Woollomooloo.

The diver has lost a hand and may lose part of his leg .

RELATED ARTICLES
Shark attack diver loses hand, may lose leg
Shark attack may end navy diver's career
Woman's body found off Bondi Beach
Surfers find body of missing swimmer
Beachgoers warned over shark attacks

livenews.com.au/Articles/2009/02/12/Swimmer_attacked_by_shark_on_Bondi_beach

[flatandy]

Woollomooloo

That's not a real place, is it? You made that up.

[mids]

Excellent! Well not really for the victims but excellent that there are big scary sharks about.

[wetkingcanute]

When these people get attacked by Sharks it always turns out they were in the sea at the time.

You never here of Shark attacks in Sainsbury's car park or the New Forest.

...think on.

[KrispyKoala]

Woollomooloo

That's not a real place, is it? You made that up.

Nah, it's a real place FA, sells great pie and peas and other munchies in the wee hours after a big night out on the piss.



Harry's Cafe de Wheels is a pie cart located in Woolloomooloo, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on Cowper Wharf Road, near the Finger Wharf and Fleet Base East of Garden Island Navy Base, opposite the Woolloomooloo Bay Hotel.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harry's_Cafe_de_Wheels

[dwad]

I went out in a canoe round there a couple of years ago. Saw some turtles and stuff, but no sharks. The mates I was staying with claimed it was perfectly safe. Won't be doing that again.

[KrispyKoala]

The current spelling of Woolloomooloo is derived from the name of the first homestead in area, Wolloomooloo House, built by the first landowner John Palmer. There is debate as to how Palmer came up with the name with different Aboriginal words being suggested. Anthropologist J.D. McCarthy wrote in 'NSW Aboriginal Places Names', in 1946, that Woolloomooloo could be derived from either Wallamullah, meaning place of plenty or Wallabahmullah, meaning a young black kangaroo.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woolloomooloo,_New_South_Wales

[KrispyKoala]

I wouldn't be swimming anywhere in the harbour at the moment Dwad, It's full of baitfish, the sharks and other big fish are having a feast.

Did go for a swim at local beach this morning, Terrigal, totally safe, there were dolphins off the breakers. Always a good sign, where there's dolphins, No sharks.

[KrispyKoala]

Here's another Aboriginal name for ya FA, the longest known so far.

Lake Cadibarrawirracanna (28‹50ŒS 135‹26ŒE / 28.833‹S 135.433‹E / -28.833; 135.433) is a salt lake in central South Australia. It is located in the northeastern portion of the Woomera Prohibited Area, east of the Stuart Highway. Lake Cadibarrawirracanna, meaning stars dancing on water, holds the record for the longest place name in Australia.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Cadibarrawirracanna

The Aborigines must have been bored, they've had at least 40,000 years to think up these names.

[omnipleasant]

"An Australian navy diver who fought off a shark in a rare attack in Sydney Harbour was in high spirits despite losing a hand"

High spirits? Haha.

Strewth mate! I've lost me bloody hand! Stone the crows, chuck a tinnie on the barbie.

[VikingHumpingWitch]

He was probably profoundly miserable and depressed, but nobody realised because of that curious habit Aussies have of ending every sentence on an upward note, you know? So it sounds like a quistion or an exclamation?

[KrispyKoala]

Bloody Aussie sick sense of Humour, there's jokes going around already.

Aussie 'Navy Seal' of course he's gonna get attacked by a bloody shark!

LMAO

[omnipleasant]

Aussies also have a habit of starting every single sentence with "aww, look.."

[justmyopinion]

There is a shark breeding ground at the Pacific Ocean end of Sydney Harbour and that's where the sharks normally stay. For one to be that near to the central area is unusual, Wooloomooloo is the navy base just a few hundred yards from the Opera House

[moggyonspeed]

Do sharks like opera then?

Don Jawvanni perhaps?

<gets coat>

[Libby]

Brilliant moggy lol!

Could have been a bit of Chompkovsky?!

[flatandy]

The Marriage of Fin-garo

[bella]

[Bottom Of The Gene Pool]

Where is the news value in this?

Is this no longer a UK based news board?
Granted, you've had a few fires and floods recently, or sumfink, but dont kick the arrse of of it you penal conony scum.......lol

...and I haven't heard one whining accented ozzie say how good the fcuking weather is in the antipodes .........and its been fcuking great!