Incident Report
Surfer Knocked from Board by Great White in Tasmania
Southwest, Tasmania·Australia
A male surfer was knocked off his board by an estimated 4.5 to 6-meter great white shark at South Cape Bay, Tasmania. The shark bit the nose off his surfboard before he swam to safety on his friend's board with minor injuries.
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Incident Profile
Circumstances
Environmental
Individual
Location
Description
On June 22, 2012, a surfing incident occurred at South Cape Bay in South West National Park, Tasmania, involving an unprovoked encounter with a great white shark. The surfer was in the water with a friend when a large white shark, estimated between 4.5 and 6 meters in length, knocked him off his surfboard and bit the nose section of the board. The encounter was sudden and forceful, with the shark making contact with the surfer's equipment rather than causing serious injury to his person. The surfer sustained only minor grazes on his legs, likely caused by contact with the shark's dorsal fin during the incident. His friend immediately paddled over and assisted him to safety by allowing him to ride back to shore on the back of his longboard. The surfer was visibly shaken by the experience but was able to exit the water and receive basic first aid for his minor injuries. The incident was documented by the Global Shark Accident File and investigated by Chris Black. The encounter occurred during a waxing crescent moon phase with approximately 6% lunar illumination, two days after the new moon on June 20, 2012.