A 46-year-old Australian surfer died after being attacked by a shark on a popular Gold Coast beach on Tuesday evening.
Nick Slater, 46, was at Greenmount Beach at Coolangatta – a well-known surf spot – when a shark mauled his leg. Nearby surfers found him floating in shallow water next to his board. He was rushed to shore and given first aid but died at the scene.
According to Queensland government, ‘the surfer’s death is the second fatal shark attack at one of Queenslands’ 85 beaches that have been protected by nets and drum lines since as early as 1962′.
The first was a 21-year-old swimmer who was mauled by more than one bull shark off a netted beach on North Stradbroke Island, north of the Gold Coast, in 2006.
Meanwhile, authorities will be investigating whether a dead tiger shark caught in a net off an Australian beach killed the surfer. Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Wednesday said a large tiger shark was trapped in safety nets off the beach, but it was unclear what type of shark was involved in the attack.
Shark nets are suspended from floats and run parallel to beaches. They are 186 meters (610 feet) long and 6 meters (20 feet) deep. Sharks can swim under the nets and around their ends.
