FINAL UPDATE: Broken Head Shark Attack Report

Drone footage captures a large shark at Broken Head swimming in the water 50m off shore. Photo: Saul Goodwin/Diimex.com
Drone footage of a large shark at Broken Head swimming in the water 50 metres off shore. Photo: Saul Goodwin/Diimex.com

A SHARK attack has been reported at Broken Head, near Byron Bay.

The incident occurred around 6.30 am today, October 24, 2016 and involved 36 year old surfer, Jade Fitzpatrick, leaving him with injuries to his left thigh and leg.

Jade was taken to Byron Central Hospital by friends and checked out again later in the afternoon.

The Today Show image showing the surfers injuries.
The Today Show image showing the surfers injuries.

The Today Show reported Jade drove himself to hospital, and provided an image of the injury.

UPDATE FROM (9 NEWS:

Witness Stuart Holland told the TODAY Show he was walking along the beach watching his kids, who had just got in the water, when he noticed people gathering further up the beach.

“There was a group of guys coming in and they were starting to walk back up the beach waving their boards around,” he said.

“One of them was definitely limping, had blood running down from the bottom of his wetsuit, quite a lot of blood.

“They were waving their boards trying to indicate to other surfers. At that point I started to panic about my kids.

“[They were] paddling out to where the main pack was, which was thinning down by that point because obviously they’d heard, but my kids hadn’t.”

His daughter Belinda Holland said she was surfing when she saw “his board went flying into the air”. She said her dad called her back in to the beach.

“He got a massive chunk out of his leg and his side and it was a lot of blood.”

The man was taken to Byron Bay Hospital by friends, according to the ABC.

Thanks to Rowena Caverley for tipping us into this Dorsal image.
Thanks to Rowena Caverley for tipping us into this Dorsal image.

From Coastal Watch

“This incident is the 17th attack in NSW since September 2015 and the fourth in a month in the Ballina-Byron area alone.

“NSW Premier Mike Baird announced the installation of shark meshing nets for the area immediately after the last attack in Ballina.”

This Post Has One Comment

  1. Bintou Burns

    There must be something else out there to avoid shark attacking human. The nets will kill others sea creatures as well & that is not fair because it their habitat it will be wrong to use nets as the last solution.
    My friend saw a baby whale caught in shark net in Rainbow Bay last week & it took 4 hrs before help came & apparently the mother had to keep pushing her baby up the all time then he could get some air & that is what saved her baby from dying.
    We are not the only habitants on this planet.

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