Shark bite that left surfer injured, tooth in board 'investigative', expert says

Saturday, 20 October 2018

Bite marks and a single shark took was left in the man's surfboard as a result of the attack, said Northland Emergency Services Trust's helicopter pilot Sam Murtagh.

A 25-year-old surfer who was attacked by a shark in Northland on Friday is in a stable condition at Whangarei Hospital.

The surfer was attacked by a great white shark around 6pm at Baylys Beach near Dargaville. He sustained serious injuries and one of the shark's teeth was left embedded in his board.

On Saturday, surfers had already returned to the water at Baylys Beach to enjoy the long weekend, and shark scientist Riley Elliott said there was no reason for beach-goers to be worried of more attacks.

Elliott said by looking at the condition of the surfer's board the shark had done an 'investigative bite'.

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Shark scientist Riley Elliott swimming with a blue shark off the Coromandel coast.

'It wasn't in full attack mode - this shark had a nibble, realised it wasn't what it was looking for and moved on.'

The chances of an attack happening again were slim Elliott said, and this wasn't a case of a rogue shark hanging around.

The attack happened at Baylys Beach, near Dargaville, at around 6pm on Friday. (File photo)

A police spokeswoman confirmed the beach was open to the public on Saturday and they did not have any concerns.

Baylys Beach is a popular summer location close to the town of Dargaville.

The great white shark left a tooth in the surfers board. (File photo)

Surf Life Saving New Zealand's website says the unpatrolled beach can be dangerous for swimmers and surfers due to strong rips, large holes and powerful waves.

Great white sharks are relatively common around the Northland area, Elliott said.

'It's a big hot spot for baby great whites, it's a nursery ground.

'There are a lot of seals around that area and because there are also a lot of good waves up there the two worlds collide.'

New Zealand was one of the five 'shark meccas' in the world, Elliott said, and while people were in their territory in the water an attack was a 'rare reality'.

'If you do encounter a shark, the best thing to do is let it know you're not prey - if you're in close proximity, smack it in the nose and keep calm.

'Sharks are incredibly important to our eco-system and the more sharks we have the healthier the fish populations will be.

'Just go out and have fun and enjoy the wild.'

In records dating back to the 1850s, there have been fewer than 50 unprovoked, recorded attacks in New Zealand.

The last fatal shark attack was in Muriwai in 2013.