Man-eating shark spotted - Great White who swallowed diver whole on Saturday?

The Scotsman ^ | June 06 2005 at 06:28AM | Matt Morrison

[Mongeaux]

THE great white shark which killed a Cape Town spear fisherman on Sunday was spotted yesterday dragging the buoy to which its victim had fixed a hooked line to secure his catch.

The 20ft shark that claimed the life of Henri Murray was seen by men fishing from rocks at Simon's Town and Kalk Bay, two Cape Town suburbs on False Bay, west of the city.

Some of the fishermen said the shark was also trailing a spear gun, suggesting that Mr Murray's diving companion, Piet van Niekerk, had successfully shot the fish in an attempt to save his friend.

There were growing calls yesterday for an end to the protected status that great whites have enjoyed in South African waters since 1990.

On Sunday, Murray's car keys were found in a flap pocket of a piece of wetsuit that washed up on Fish Hoek beach, National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) spokesperson Craig Lambinon told the Cape Times.

[Mongeaux]

The fish swallowed the poor sucker whole. "It was incredibly fast," Dave Estment, a yachtsman who witnessed the onslaught, told the Scotsman. "The two spear fishermen were not far from the beach. Suddenly a huge shark surged from under the water taking the one diver [from his legs upwards] to his arms in its jaws.""

[nuconvert]

"dragging the buoy "

Sounds like Jaws

[chet_in_ny]

Farewell me Spanish Lady...

[patton]

Not quite whole - up to his arms.

What is that like? Your body is severed at about armpit-level, the shark swims away with the lower portion, you are left underwater, two arms and a head. Do you drown? How? You have no lungs. What is the last thing that goes thru your brain?

"oops."

[Slicksadick]

For comparison purposes...

Great White Shark

Alf Dean with his all-tackle record 2,664-pound white shark and the 130-pound line class record. Taken off Ceduna, Australia on April 21, 1959. This is Australia's biggest allowable record shark.

[Mongeaux]

The shark came out of the water with the diver in its mouth up to the armpits - one more gulp and he goes down the hatch whole. I don't think his trunk got severed. No remains found yet.

[Charlespg]

But Grant Fallows, one of the country's leading shark conservationists and wildlife photographers, condemned the calls to renew great white hunting. "It's astounding and disgraceful that there is such a lack of understanding of our marine predators," he said. "Our great white sharks are seen as an incredible asset by international tourists."

Good lets feed you to the damm things

[plain talk]

"he swallow you whole" sounds like something from Jaws also.

[Alouette]

Did anyone see the Open Water?

That movie SUCKED!!!!

[fso301]

A few points for divers to remember about spearfishing:

1. A fish struggling on the end of a spear looks like dinner to a shark.
2. To a large shark attracted by the thrashing of a fish on the end of said spear, the diver might look better than the fish.
3. A trailing stringer or catchbag smells like a chum pot to sharks.

[patton]

Not true - bits of his web gear, weight belt, etc., have surfaced.

Still, OK, now you are inside a shark, whole. With your tanks functioning.

Starting to regret that knife ban, aren't you?

[Mad Mammoth]

Your body is severed at about armpit-level, the shark swims away with the lower portion, you are left underwater, two arms and a head. Do you drown? How? You have no lungs. What is the last thing that goes thru your brain?

"So much for 'jumping the shark'..."

[mmercier]

That has to suck. One big fish for sure.

>> There were growing calls yesterday for an end to the protected status that great whites have enjoyed in South African waters since 1990.

No kidding, how cool to bag one that size.

Bet they're tasty too, if you cook them properly.

[Mongeaux]

By "remains" I mean anything with meat, like the top half of his body.

[Sam Cree]

Jumping the shark

[CommandoFrank]

BUUURRRRPPPP!

[1066AD]

I've often wondered at the surf casters who are often waist deep in the water and, if they catch anything, will have them on stringers or in a net-bag. Always seemed a bit like setting yourself up as bait.

[Mongeaux]

If it is towing a buoy and a speargun, authorities have a unique chance to bag the ACTUAL shark that killed Henri Murray. No guesswork - they can get the Maneater before he eats somebody else. I think South Africans have a moral duty to get this thing.

What say ye Freepers?

[RepoGirl]

Did anyone see the Open Water?

It looked like it would suck. Sort of like the Blair Witch, only with dive gear and sharks. Lots of arguing and staying in one place. My friend saw it, said it was incredibly amateurish, and quite claustrophobic.

I saw a show on Court TV, though, that was about the real story that Open Water was taken from. A lot more interesting IMOP.

[BluH2o]

A great white attacked and killed a women swimmer in these same waters earlier this year. The women, in her early fifties, swam for exercise each morning, and had been doing so for a number of years ... until her fatal encounter. Same great white possibly?