Teacher Simon Baccanello, 46, was surfing off the South Australian coast on May 14 when he suddenly went missing.
Shark Brutally Attacks Surfer in Australia
According to Live Science, his vanishing was due to the brutal attack of a shark that repeatedly bit and dragged him underwater. While the attack in itself was already rare, what made things even more peculiar was that the shark went back to the victim three times. This was according to eyewitness reports.
The New York Post notes that the violent shark attack took place roughly 100 feet from the shore. When the attack happened, Baccanello was just one of a dozen other surfers in the area. Jaiden Miller, one bystander who saw the violent attack, mentioned to the Adelaide Advertiser that he saw the tombstoning of Baccanello's board. This meant that the man was underwater and that his board was being dragged down as he tried to reach the surface once more.
Miller explains that Baccanello was gone and that they saw the shark thrashing around the back. The shark also let go and went back to Baccanello for a third attack.
As per the New York Post, police spent the whole weekend examining the entire area with helicopters and boats. Superintendent Paul Bahr, the Eyre and Western Local Service Area Officer in Charge, noted that search efforts focused on the specific area where the attack took place.
The South Australia Police mentioned in a statement from May 15 that the man was presumed to be dead. This came after emergency responders were unable to spot his body. These responders were, however, able to find a wetsuit piece. CTV News also adds that the man's damaged surfboard, with a bite in the middle, was soon retrieved.
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Deadly Shark Attacks
Per Live Science, fatal shark attacks are remarkably rare incidents. According to the International Shark Attack File of Florida Museum, there were five known fatal shark attacks across the world in 2022.
These attacks tend to result from mistaken identities. Underwater surfers and swimmers may look strikingly similar to the seals that sharks love to prey on. In several cases, sharks end up realizing that a person is not food. When they do so, they tend to swim away. However, fatalities usually occur due to post-attack blood loss.
Consequently, the recent repeated shark attacks were quite uncommon. However, they are not entirely unheard of, according to Gavin Naylor, who directs the Florida Program for Shark Research in the Florida Museum.
Naylor explains that repeated bites may happen if the motivation behind the attack is territoriality or predation. The specific reason may also depend on the species involved. However, for the recent incident, this still remains a mystery.
The species' emotional state could also affect its aggression and attack repetition.
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