Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Missing Fisherman Pulled Overboard by Massive Shark: Police
New York Post ^ | Feb. 24, 2025 | Clareese Packer, Duncan Evans and Zoe De Koning

Posted on 02/28/2025 10:26:43 AM PST by nickcarraway

Police have revealed missing fisherman Paul Barning was entangled in his own fishing line and not wearing a life jacket when he fell overboard during a fishing competition on Sunday. The 58-year-old was pulled into the water about 1pm on Sunday while taking part in the Game Fishing Association state tournament off the Port Stephens coast near Newcastle, sparking a major search effort.

In a press conference on Monday afternoon, NSW Police Superintendent Joe McNulty said police believed the vessel was reeling in a mako shark when Mr Barning became entangled in the fishing line. “After the entanglement we believe the shark has submerged, pulling the man into that water,” he said. “We believe the shark was quite large.

“Their vessel was only 6.8m in length.” Superintendent McNulty said the outcome may have been different if the experienced fisherman had been wearing a life jacket. “Tragically, that might have assisted in his recovery if he’d had a life jacket on,” he said. "Unfortunately, at this time, he has not been recovered.”

(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...


TOPICS: Outdoors; Pets/Animals; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: fishingtournament; mako; mano; shark

1 posted on 02/28/2025 10:26:43 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Sad.


2 posted on 02/28/2025 10:29:03 AM PST by laplata (They want each crisis to take the greatest toll possible.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Bet he got tangled in the line and the shark dove deep.


3 posted on 02/28/2025 10:30:20 AM PST by HonkyTonkMan ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

In Newcastle the shark fishes you?

Too soon?


4 posted on 02/28/2025 10:32:34 AM PST by reed13k
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Australia. Everything tries to kill you.


5 posted on 02/28/2025 10:35:39 AM PST by jjotto ( Blessed are You LORD, who crushes enemies and subdues the wicked.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Note to self:
When fishing do not get entangled in your fishing gear.
Carry a knife at all times.


6 posted on 02/28/2025 10:36:22 AM PST by sjmjax
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reed13k

7 posted on 02/28/2025 10:36:28 AM PST by nickcarraway
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: jjotto

I’m safe then. in Florida not EVERY thing wants to kill you. mostly just the snakes, alligators, certain lizards, spiders, wild animals, many, MANY plants, lots of other insects that can inject and infect, bunches of infectious diseases that demand IMMEDIATE attention....and brainless liberals who want you dead IF you resist. well...NOT Australia, but close.


8 posted on 02/28/2025 10:44:04 AM PST by Qwapisking ("The left will rue the day they cheated Trump out of the 2020 election forever" L.Star )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 5 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

we’re gonna need a bigger boat


9 posted on 02/28/2025 10:50:55 AM PST by Craftmore
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: reed13k

when life imitates art you get “JAWS”. apparently a new England shark wasn’t happy about their racist( animalist?) depiction in jaws and decided to join the “transgenderists of violence” crowd as an outlier. who knew they were so “shallow”?


10 posted on 02/28/2025 10:54:06 AM PST by Qwapisking ("The left will rue the day they cheated Trump out of the 2020 election forever" L.Star )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I'll never wear a life jacket.

11 posted on 02/28/2025 11:16:27 AM PST by Tallguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Was he missing before the shark got him, or before?


12 posted on 02/28/2025 11:30:03 AM PST by GingisK
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

One of my best friends that I grew up with and known since we were both 4 years old was a commercial fisherman, now a tugboat captain.

“Always have a knife on you to cut a line, it might save your life someday”, was what he told me.


13 posted on 02/28/2025 11:47:52 AM PST by Tailback
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

When I was deep-sea fishing I always wore a harness and made sure that the harness was strapped to the fighting chair. There are even videos on You Tube of people being dragged overboard by huge fish because they did NOT have the harness NOR the fighting chair. Stupid is as stupid does.


14 posted on 02/28/2025 11:51:25 AM PST by spel_grammer_an_punct_polise (Learn three chords and you, too, can be a Rock Star!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

That’s why we always carried a rifle in the boat when shark fishing. Makes it a lot easier to get a big shark into the boat when they are dead.


15 posted on 02/28/2025 11:58:33 AM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway



16 posted on 02/28/2025 12:34:12 PM PST by T.B. Yoits
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tired&retired

You shoot the air cylinder the shark has in it’s mouth and blow up the shark.
Kinda messy but fun.


17 posted on 02/28/2025 2:14:27 PM PST by minnesota_bound (Need more money to buy everything now)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: minnesota_bound

I used to go shark fishing in the Atlantic with a group of five crazy Italians that were all merchant seaman. Crazy was an understatement. I was the only non immigrant, but they treated me like a brother as I kept them out of jail and won a big tax court case for them.

The biggest shark we landed was a 10 ft Hammerhead.

We hooked onto something that towed our boat for quite a while and broke 300 lb test fishing line with steel leader. We joked that we snagged a submarine. 😁


18 posted on 02/28/2025 4:09:39 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 17 | View Replies]

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson