Environment

Shark Attack in Western Australia

by Jordan Yerman | December 27, 2008 at 08:23 am

1989 views | 11 Recommendations | 6 comments

Brian Guest was snorkelling with his son at a beach just south of Perth, Western Australia, when he disappeared. His son alerted the beach partrol, who is saying that the incident looks like a shark attack.

A friend of Guest's family has stated that it would be Guest's wish that, should the shark be found, it not be destroyed.

Witnesses and officials admitted that the latest incident, which happened near Rockingham, to the south of Perth, bore the hallmarks of a shark attack.

Mr Guest and his son were reportedly snorkelling for crabs in familiar waters when they were attacked.

Witnesses told police they saw flashes of fins in the area and the water was coloured by blood.

"Something very traumatic and pretty violent has happened there and we are treating it as a probable shark attack," acting Inspector Mark Valentine said.

This would be Australia's second fatal shark attack this year, and WA's first.

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Lazylizards

at 09:09 on December 27th, 2008

According to WAToday.com.au, while the family is trying to get to terms with the killing, family friend Steve Kent said Mr Guest loved the ocean and was an avid fisherman who would not want the animal hunted and killed.

"He's spent many years in the water - he has a very deep respect for the water," Mr Kent said.

"We're living in its domain and have to pay respect to it," he said.

"He definitely would not want it hunted."

Lazylizards

at 09:31 on December 27th, 2008

In an unrelated incident off the northern beaches of Sydney, a five-metre great white seemed set to attack several kayakers. Fishermen nearby were heard telling them to remain still while the shark circled them for 10 minutes.

Great whites are known to attack man who are mistaken for seals.

lefty_liberated

at 09:44 on December 27th, 2008

i love sharks. you couldn't pay me to swim in australia. lucky the kid lived.

Lazylizards

at 05:05 on December 28th, 2008

Sharks again feature in Australian newspapers today.

Packs of three-metre sharks, thought to be aggressive bull sharks, have sparked panic and closed beaches on a south-east Queensland holiday island.

Usually, shark sightings increase whenever there is news of shark attacks. However, peak periods for sharks occur only in February and March when bait fish abound.

Meanwhile, 24-year old Daniel Guest, who was diving for crabs with his father when the latter disappeared in a shark attack yesterday, said he would return to the water to fish. It was a "rare freak" incident and he hoped people would not be paranoid by these creatures who have the right to be there.