Australian authorities have temporarily halted the search for a 55-year-old man who is believed to have fallen victim to a shark attack in a region notorious for great white shark sightings. The incident occurred in South Australia, and the distressing nature of the attack, combined with challenging ocean conditions, has made the search for any remains particularly difficult.
Eyewitnesses who were present during the attack described the chilling scene. At around 10:20 a.m. local time on Tuesday, witnesses saw the shark attack the surfer. Ian Brophy, one of the onlookers, told the Advertiser, “I saw the shark go and just launch and bite. It went over the top of the man, bit him, and dragged him underwater. After a brief moment of stillness, the water was filled with blood, and then the surfboard emerged. The sight was horrifying as the shark had the man’s body in its mouth. It was an extremely gruesome scene. I believe the shark took the entire man. In my sixty years of surfing, I’ve never witnessed such a horrific incident.”
Another surfer present at the scene described the shark as a “monstrous creature.”