Shark Attacks Are News Again

Created by doina. Last modified on 2003-07-29 15:33:08
Contributors:
Countries: Cook Islands, French Polynesia, Niue, Tonga

Two shark attacks were reported this week in the South Pacific drawing renewed attention to a subject that has been out of the news for a while. The crew of a yacht anchored at Beverige Reef in the Cook Islands, east of Tonga, was attacked by a shark while swimming. What is alarming is that it appeared to have been an unprovoked attack, as he wasn't spearfishing, cleaning fish or doing anything that would excite the sharks. There was only one other boat in the anchorage at the time and they don't seem to have been exciting the sharks either. The crew was bitten on the bottom and the chest, but the bites weren't too serious and he was able to sail to Niue for medical attention. The victim later explained that the shark came from nowhere, went straight for him and didn't bump him or circle him first as sharks normally do.

A similar attack was reported in the Tahiti press after a fisherman, who was out spearfishing, was bitten just outside the reef in Moorea, French Polynesia. Such an attack is regarded as very rare for the area. The man was bitten in the leg and taken to a hospital in Tahiti.