Incident Report
Surfer Injured by Whaler Shark at Yamba, New South Wales
yamba, turners beach, New South Wales·Australia
A male surfer sustained bite wounds to his foot from a whaler shark while surfing at Turners Beach near Yamba, New South Wales in March 2003. The incident resulted in non-fatal injuries.
Please take a moment to consider the human impact of this event on the victim and their loved ones. The data presented here documents real events that affected real people and families.
Incident Profile
Individual
Location
Description
In March 2003, a shark incident occurred at Turners Beach near Yamba on the New South Wales coast. A male surfer was injured by a whaler shark while surfing in the coastal waters. The shark bite resulted in teeth marks to the victim's foot. The injuries were non-fatal, and the surfer survived the encounter. Whaler sharks (genus Carcharhinus) are found in Australian waters and are generally considered to be of moderate concern in terms of human interactions, though incidents remain relatively uncommon. This incident was documented as part of the broader record of shark interactions along the Australian coastline.