A shark swims near World Championship surfer Matt Wilkinson at Sharpes Beach, New South Wales.
Melbourne:
A dramatic close-up encounter between Australian World Championship surfer Matt Wilkinson and a shark off the country’s east coast was captured by a drone, showing the shark surrounding him, closing in and then soaring away from his feet.
Wilkinson was paddling from a surf at Sharpes Beach, 733 km (455 miles) north of Sydney, when the shark swam towards him and then under his surfboard on Wednesday, the drone being captured on a drone used by lifeguards to watch for sharks. .
The 1.3-meter (five-foot) great white shark then circled and swam to Wilkinson’s feet, who were trailing in the water, and quickly turned away.
#SHARK // @wsl surfer Matt Wilkinson had a close encounter with a shark while surfing at #Ballina today.
The arrival of a #drone overhead alerted Matt via a warning over the speaker, at the same time a 1.5m shark appeared.Full story 🗞️ https://t.co/rrJ8gkxZMlpic.twitter.com/KvWqjN1Teb
– Surf Life Saving NSW (@slsnsw) October 7, 2020
“I was riding in the back at Sharpes Beach and I was sailing on my own,” Wilkinson, a former professional surfer, said in a press release issued by Surf Life Saving NSW.
“I heard a splash and a noise and looked around and saw nothing. Then the drone came down and told me there was a dangerous shark in the area,” he said. he said.
“I realized how close it was without knowing it was there. I called my wife because I didn’t want her to see the pictures before seeing them. She doesn’t want me to surf. for a few days now. “
Wilkinson took part in a world championship round just before Australia’s Mick Fanning encountered a great white shark at Jeffreys Bay in South Africa in 2015, which he fought by hitting it.
The area around which Wilkinson surfed has a reputation for sharks and has seen a series of attacks over the years.
A 46-year-old surfer was killed last month on a Gold Coast beach after sustaining serious leg injuries from a shark attack, with Australia recording a total of 19 shark attacks in 2020, according to the Taronga Conservation Society.
(Except for the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
