Tuncurry, NSW mid-north coast: Shark captured at beach where surfer was mauled to death

Shark is captured at beach where surfer was mauled to death by a great white as he desperately warned others to paddle to shore

  • Shark captured at a beach where a surfer was mauled to death by a great white
  • Surfer in his 50s was fatally mauled by a 4.5m great white off Tuncurry Beach 
  • Telling friends of danger when he was mauled off NSW mid-north coast Tuesday 
  • Mauling on the NSW mid-north coast first fatal shark attack in Australia this year

A shark has been captured at a beach where a surfer was mauled to death by a great white a day earlier.

The surfer in his 50s was fatally mauled by a 4.5m great white shark off Tuncurry Beach near Forster on the NSW mid-north coast on Tuesday morning.

He was desperately warning friends of the danger when he was attacked.

Authorities on Wednesday morning caught a shark on a drum line off the beach, but it is not believed to be the same predator that was spotted by a drone following Tuesday’s attack.

A man in his 50s died after he was bitten by a shark on the upper leg on the New South Wales mid-north coast on Tuesday. Emergency crews are pictured at the scene

The shark caught on Wednesday has been tagged and taken further out into the ocean.

Drum lines had been dropped into the water by the NSW Department of Primary Industries in an attempt to hook the shark, 9News reported.

The lines are non-lethal traps used to lure and capture sharks using baited hooks, allowing authorities to move sharks away from popular beaches without using deadly force.

Tuesday’s mauling is the first confirmed fatal shark attack in Australian waters this year, though it’s believed another man was killed by a shark off South Australia in January.

Emergency crews were called to the beach, just north of Forster, about 11.20am after the man was bitten while surfing.

Police said the man spotted the shark before it latched on, leaving him with horrific injuries to his upper thigh. 

‘When the attack occurred the man did actually see the shark and called out to try and warn others’ Superintendent Christopher Schilt told reporters.

‘Very heroically his friends were able to bring him back into shore after he had been attacked.’

Locals believe Tuesday’s incident at Tuncurry beach was likely caused by a well-known great white known as ‘Bruce’. 

Despite the efforts of bystanders – which included an off-duty paramedic – the man died on the shore.

NSW Ambulance Inspector Joshua Smyth praised the man’s friends who worked with paramedics for 40 minutes to revive him.

‘They commenced CPR. They gave that patient the best chance that they could get at that time, but (we) were unable to save him.’

Tuesday's attack was at Tuncurry Beach near the popular tourist spot of Forster on the mid-north coast of New South Wales

Tuesday’s attack was at Tuncurry Beach near the popular tourist spot of Forster on the mid-north coast of New South Wales 

Surf Lifesaving NSW has closed beaches from Blackhead Beach to One Mile Beach for at least 24 hours, and the DPI is deploying smart drumlines at Tuncurry Beach.

Shark scientists from the NSW Department of Primary Industry have since analysed photos of the bite and determined a white shark about 4.5m long is likely responsible for the attack.

Drones have been deployed in the area, as the DPI and police search for the shark responsible.

At least two sharks about three metres long were spotted in the area on Tuesday, as well as a roughly 4.5m great white captured by a drone videographer.

Victorian father Duncan Craw (pictured) died in the water off Port MacDonnell in SA in January in a suspected shark attack

Victorian father Duncan Craw (pictured) died in the water off Port MacDonnell in SA in January in a suspected shark attack 

Local lifesaver Brian Wilcox said the attack was ‘pretty unprecedented’.

‘I can’t recall ever having a shark attack in this area,’ he told ABC TV.

The DPI has advised water users and beach goers to follow the NSW SharkSmart Twitter feed or download the SharkSmart app for the latest information on shark movements and sightings.

Eight people were killed in shark attacks in Australian waters last year, according to the Taronga Conservation Society which records shark fatalities.

In January, Victorian father Duncan Craw went missing in waters off Port MacDonnell in South Australia, and his torn wetsuit was later found, but his case was not recorded as an official shark fatality.

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk