Shark Kills Aussie Swimmer

Study finds attack victims almost always male
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 9, 2014 4:04 AM CDT
Shark Kills Aussie Swimmer
A shark spotted from a helicopter at Byron Bay.   (MyGlobal)

Despite what police say was the "extraordinary bravery" of a beachgoer, a 50-year-old man was killed in a shark attack in Byron Bay in eastern Australia today. The man's wife was watching from the shore as he was attacked and received severe leg injuries, reports the BBC. "I saw what looked like seaweed, but it was blood in the water," a man who tried to save the victim tells the Daily Telegraph. "The shark came back to him and had another go. I didn't know it was a person—but when I realized I ran out and waded to the bank and grabbed him and did CPR, but it was too late."

The attack comes after the release of new research from Australia that finds men are far more likely than women to be attacked and killed by sharks. According to researchers at Queensland's Bond University, some 84% of victims of unprovoked shark attacks are men, as are 89% of fatalities, the Telegraph reports. The lead researcher says this may be because men "spend more time in the water, and are more risk-prone." Over the 30-year period studied, Australia had 32 fatal shark attacks, more than any other country. (A shark cull off Western Australia this year caught 172 sharks, but none of them were great whites.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X