Teenager's near miss with '3.5m monster out for a kill'

Wednesday, 2 March 2022

The shark was described as in “full attack mode” (file photo).

A Mount Maunganui man has described the “terrifying” moment a teenaged boy surfing in the Bay of Plenty faced a close call with a great white shark.

“It was ferocious, jaws wide open, definitely in hunting mode,” says Vaughan Wilson, 52, known on the local surf scene as Willow.

“It was a 3.5m monster, out for a kill. It launched itself out of the water until its whole body was fully airborne, about half a metre above the ocean, like it was flying.

“I screamed ‘shark, shark’, at the top of my lungs but the waves were so high and there was so much white water around, no one could hear me even though I’m known for being pretty bloody loud.

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“It was both frightening and stunning - flying through the air bathed in sunlight. I knew it was a great white straight away from its white belly and the huge size and shape of its pectoral fins and tail. I know sharks well.”

Mount Maunganui surfer Vaughan 'Willow' Wilson witnessed the shark attack on his best friend's son.

Willow was out surfing off Matakana Island on Monday morning with his best friend and his friend’s 14-year-old son – one of the Bay of Plenty’s top junior surfers. All three are experienced surfers.

“We surf two or three times a week,” he explains. “We’ve surfed together in this spot a thousand times and never worried about great whites before.”

They had been surfing for about 45 minutes when the attack happened. Willow was the only one of the three who saw the shark - his friend and his son were completely unaware that it was behind them.

“The young fella took off on a wave going left towards the beach. He was riding towards the Mount harbour channel, we call it a left hander. I was watching him as I like to give him a thumbs up at the end.”

The shark followed the boy’s journey along the wave and tried to cut him off from the beach, said Willow.

“It was like it was stalking its prey, following him. It sped ahead of him and did a u-turn in the hole - the deeper part of the channel which makes for good waves - and it was then it exploded out of the hole to try to nail the boy. But it had miscalculated, because just before the boy came off his board he had done a sharp turn. That decision to turn saved his life because it meant the shark’s jaws missed him.”

After launching its attack, Willow said the shark landed back in the water, just missing the boy who was off his board.

“It splashed back in the water near his right shoulder, missing him. He was off his board, waist deep in water and completely unaware. The shark disappeared back under the water and I couldn’t see where it was - I was scared.”

Willow says the gravity of the situation still hasn't sunk in for the boy.

Willow and the boy’s dad were also in the water, about 80 metres from the boy. His dad started frantically shouting to his son too, screaming ‘shark, get out of the water’, until his son heard him.

“He was amazing - so calm. He pulled himself back onto his board, caught a wave and paddled back to shore.

“When I told them how close he came to the shark taking his arm, or his life, my friend, like me, was shocked. It was scary. I had the shakes. But the boy was cool - all he kept saying was ‘oh wow’.”

When the three were back on the beach at Matakana Island, they still had to face the fact that they had to swim out to their boat to get home. The boat was anchored in the water about 150 metres off the beach, in the same area as the shark.

“We waited 40 minutes, looking for its fin or any signs, but couldn’t see anything. We had to paddle back to the boat, so we put the boy in the middle between us. It wasn’t a long distance, but it seemed like the longest paddle of my life - totally nerve wracking.

“We found out later from a shark expert that after a shark leaps like that it can be exhausted, so it stops hunting for a while. I guess we got lucky, and it got tired.”

Willow said the gravity of the situation still hasn’t really sunk in for the boy, but the trio wanted to tell their story to warn the community. After speaking to the Department of Conservation, they understand that the shark planned its attack, targeting the boy as the smallest of the three.

James Jacobs, President of Bayboard Riders, is concerned about the increase in sharks in the Bay of Plenty

“I would feel so guilty if we didn’t say anything and it attacked someone else. I have three kids myself. I saw it was looking for blood, so what’s to stop it from doing it again?”

The boy, still shocked, has not been out in the water since, but Willow says he is not giving up his passion for surfing

James Jacobs, 44, is president of Bayboardriders, a surfing group that has been going since the 1960s. Jacobs is concerned about the increase in great white sharks in the Bay of Plenty.

“They’re not just around Waihī Beach and Bowentown, but they are here at the Mount - and other places close to the beaches here. A fisherman in the water off Fergusson Park in Matua has seen a three-metre great white there.

“It’s like they’ve moved in all of a sudden. We’ve asked DOC what they are doing about it. Are numbers being monitored?”

Locals such as Peter Rogers have plenty of great white shark stories to tell, yet swimmers are still doing their thing at Bowentown.

Like Willow, Jacobs grew up surfing in the Mount but thinks the dangerous shark situation could become more like Australia’s if it's not monitored.

“We have never seen the number of great whites that we’re seeing now. They used to be such rare sightings - we even named one Brutus. There are other sharks who come in December when the water gets warmer, but they are bronze whalers, makos and blue sharks. That’s normal, but now there are great whites.

Jacobs says he has received numerous reports of sightings over the summer months.

“A fisherman saw one eat a baby seal off the rocks. A surfer at Clyde Street reported that a huge great white was circling them. It’s where lots of people take the kids for a surf.”

He said there have been many sightings at the Mount and Matakana Island.

“I am concerned for the safety of swimmers. As part of the surf community I fully support a study on the great white population in the Bay of Plenty, to understand what is going on here.”

There are around 66 types of sharks found in New Zealand waters. Most of them are rarely-seen deep water species, and many are threatened or endangered internationally.

Great white sharks are present around the New Zealand coastline all year round, but most encounters are between December and May as more people head to the beach and the sharks return to New Zealand to feed in coastal waters.

Riley Elliott presses a blue shark's nose to let the shark know he's not food.

There have been a number of great white shark sightings in Bay of Plenty over the past year, with videos posted online of sharks circling fishing boats and chasing fish.

Department of Conservation marine scientist Clinton Duffy said it looked like the shark thought the young surfer was a seal.

Duffy said the shark attempted to intercept the surfer, and accelerated in the direction it thought he was heading.

But, the surfer spun out of the wave and completely changed direction, he said. This caused the shark to miss.

He was lucky, Duffy said. The surfer, if attacked, would have been seriously injured at the very least.

Duffy warned people to stay away from the area for a few weeks, and stick to patrolled beaches.

People using burely while fishing, especially in smaller fishing vessels, should also avoid doing so, he said. The bait did not only attract fish, but sharks too.

Duffy said it was unknown how long the shark would stay in the area, Duffy said. It could take from one week to three months.

The Detail: Beaches, especially on the Coromandel have seen an increase in sightings of great white sharks, but an expert says the public needs more information.

“They will stay for as long as there is food for them.”

Several species of sharks are known to populate Bay of Plenty waters, he said.

It was estimated at 3 to 3.5 metres, which was when sharks transitioned to targetting larger prey, like mammals, instead of just fish.

“This presents greater risk. It definitely seems like a predatory attack.”

This shark was bigger than those seen recently, but it wasn’t uncommon for a shark of this size to be found in shallow water.

He said generally great white sharks didn’t exhibit a lot of interest for people, but it looked like the shark thought the person was prey in this instance, and the consequences of that could be devastating.

He said evidence showed that white shark populations in the southern west of the Pacific Ocean were stable, if not declining slightly, with about 750 adult sharks.

“But that doesn’t mean we can’t get local shifts depending on where the food is. It is possible there was a shift into the Tauranga area because of an abundance of prey.”

He said DOC appreciated information, and especially images, of shark sightings, because it helped them to track their behaviour.

People could report call 0800 362 468 or email sharks@doc.govt.nz with information.

Concerns had also been raised with shark scientist Dr Riley Elliott, who said the young surfer reported the shark “lunged” out of the water towards them, but missed.

“I think what needs to be cautioned, is that when someone sees a shark who isn’t used to it, it can be an overwhelming experience,” he said.

“If a shark wants to bite something, it usually can. It seems odd that it missed, if it was trying to get him.

“But, it’s totally possible and that is concerning because that indicates predatory behaviour.”

Elliott has applied for a permit from the Department of Conservation to tag and study the sharks, to give people information and reduce fear.

Every time there was a sighting, people had more questions, he said. “I can’t answer unless they let me do the research.

“The DOC website says a permit takes 20 working days, it’s been over 300.”

He applied for the permit before the fatal attack on Kaelah Marlow in January 2021 and before sharks were found dead in the Bowentown area in December 2021.

“History will repeat itself - why wouldn’t it? People want information, and that is what science is there for.

“I have the ability to give people answers to protect people and the sharks.”

Elliott said people were becoming more and more frightened, and he had heard talk amongst locals of “taking action into their own hands”.

“It’s an endangered species that hasn’t done anything wrong yet. The Department of Conservation is putting them in a vulnerable position.

“It’s like looking under the bed and showing your kids the boogey man isn’t there, but the sharks are. So where are they, what are they doing?

“People are scared, and it isn’t necessary.”