Shawn Alladio
01-23-2007, 07:44 AM
http://edition.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/01/22/australia.shark.ap/
Oz diver: 'head-first into shark'POSTED: 0449 GMT (1249 HKT), January 22, 2007
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SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- An Australian man was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries Tuesday after being attacked by a 3-meter-long (10-foot-long) white pointer shark, friends and rescue officials said.
Eric Nerhus, 41, was diving for abalone off Cape Howe, near the eastern town of Eden, about 400 kilometers (249 miles) south of Sydney, when he was attacked by the shark, also known as a great white, according to friends and the Snowy Hydro Rescue Helicopter service.
The shark grabbed Nerhus by the head, crushing his face mask inwards and breaking his nose, according to 53-year-old Dennis Luobikis, a fellow diver who witnessed the attack.
"He was actually bitten by the head down, the shark swallowed his head," Luobikis said.
The great white came back for a second bite, clenching its jaws around Nerhus' torso and leaving deep lacerations into his side, said Luobikis.
Nerhus managed to wrestle himself free of the shark's jaws, and later told rescue workers he had poked the shark in the eye, an unidentified helicopter rescue worker told local media.
After being pulled from the water by his 25-year-old son, Nerhus was airlifted to a local hospital, where he was in serious but stable condition suffering blood loss and shock.
"Eric is a tough boy, he's super fit," said Luobikis. "But I would say that would test anyone's resolve, being a fish lunch."
Shark attacks are relatively common in Australian waters, which are home to some of the world's deadliest sea life. Scientists say there are an average of 15 shark attacks a year in Australian waters -- one of the highest rates in the world -- and just over 1 per year are fatal.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Oz diver: 'head-first into shark'POSTED: 0449 GMT (1249 HKT), January 22, 2007
Adjust font size:
SYDNEY, Australia (AP) -- An Australian man was airlifted to a hospital with serious injuries Tuesday after being attacked by a 3-meter-long (10-foot-long) white pointer shark, friends and rescue officials said.
Eric Nerhus, 41, was diving for abalone off Cape Howe, near the eastern town of Eden, about 400 kilometers (249 miles) south of Sydney, when he was attacked by the shark, also known as a great white, according to friends and the Snowy Hydro Rescue Helicopter service.
The shark grabbed Nerhus by the head, crushing his face mask inwards and breaking his nose, according to 53-year-old Dennis Luobikis, a fellow diver who witnessed the attack.
"He was actually bitten by the head down, the shark swallowed his head," Luobikis said.
The great white came back for a second bite, clenching its jaws around Nerhus' torso and leaving deep lacerations into his side, said Luobikis.
Nerhus managed to wrestle himself free of the shark's jaws, and later told rescue workers he had poked the shark in the eye, an unidentified helicopter rescue worker told local media.
After being pulled from the water by his 25-year-old son, Nerhus was airlifted to a local hospital, where he was in serious but stable condition suffering blood loss and shock.
"Eric is a tough boy, he's super fit," said Luobikis. "But I would say that would test anyone's resolve, being a fish lunch."
Shark attacks are relatively common in Australian waters, which are home to some of the world's deadliest sea life. Scientists say there are an average of 15 shark attacks a year in Australian waters -- one of the highest rates in the world -- and just over 1 per year are fatal.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.