Incident Report
Bronze Whaler Encounter During Spearfishing at Cape Jervis
A 26-year-old spearfisher off Cape Jervis, South Australia, encountered a 3-meter bronze whaler shark that bit his speargun. The diver escaped to shallow water uninjured after the aggressive encounter in February 1968.
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Incident Profile
Circumstances
Environmental
Individual
Location
Description
On the evening of February 4, 1968, a 26-year-old male spearfisher was working in approximately 20 feet of water off the jetty at Cape Jervis, South Australia, located near the southwestern tip of the Fleurieu Peninsula. The incident occurred around 18:30 as the diver had just successfully speared a fish. Without warning, a bronze whaler shark estimated at 3 meters (10 feet) in length approached the diver aggressively. The shark came directly toward him with apparent intent to attack. In a defensive response, the diver pushed his speargun toward the approaching shark. The shark made contact with the weapon, biting and severing the end of the speargun. Following the interaction, the diver quickly made his way to nearby reef, then carefully traveled through shallow water to reach the shore safely. He sustained no physical injuries from the encounter, though his equipment was damaged. The incident was documented as an unprovoked shark encounter. According to the diver's own account, the experience was significant enough that he decided to discontinue spearfishing after ten years of regular participation in the activity. The encounter was recorded in the Global Shark Accident File and represents one of the documented bronze whaler incidents in Australian waters during the mid-20th century.