NEWS.com.au | Great White stalks city (November 30, 2004)

NEWS.com.au | Great White stalks city (November 30, 2004): "Great White stalks city
By Matt Williams
November 30, 2004

Great White stalks city
By Matt Williams
November 30, 2004

A FIVE-METRE Great White shark is stalking Adelaide's coastline in search of food.



Menace ... the Great White caught on camera.


The underwater menace circled two men fishing 12km off North Haven on Sunday before moving slowly down the city's coastline where it was sighted four times, as close as 200m from the shoreline of busy Henley beach.

It is believed the shark is cruising up and down coastal waters following food sources such as dolphins, seals, snapper and stingrays.

Fishermen Darren Edwards, 37, and Noel Flounders, 40, were fishing 12km off North Haven when the shark circled their five-metre fishing boat for more than 20 minutes on Sunday.

"I noticed this big shadow and then suddenly I saw it coming toward the boat," Mr Edwards said yesterday.

"It was a terrifying but amazing sight."

The men's sighting of the shark came on the same day swimmers were evacuated from suburban beaches after the sightings of a Great White near Grange and Henley beaches.

Shark expert Andrew Fox said the sightings could "absolutely" be of the same shark.

"There is no doubt that this shark could be the same one that everyone has reported in the past couple of days," Mr Fox said.

"The shark is likely to be following food sources such as dolphins, seals, snapper and stingrays."

Mr Fox said it was possible for the Great White species to follow food sources into shallow waters.

"They go anywhere they like and can travel hundreds or thousands of kilometres in a short space of time," he said.

It was possible a Great White could travel up to 100km a day.

Mr Fox said Great White sightings were common off the Adelaide coast but he was not sure how many could be in local waters.

"All we know is that about 200 Great Whites are killed by fishermen across Australia each year, so there could be anywhere up to 2000 swimming in Australian waters," he said.

On Saturday about noon, two men fishing 10km offshore from St Kilda had their boat nudged by a Great White.

On Sunday, Great White sightings were reported 500m off the Grange jetty at 8.45am, 200m off the Henley Beach jetty at 11am, 1km off of Grange at 12.30pm and 500m off the Henley Beach jetty at 12.45pm. Mr Edwards said the Great White appeared near his boat about 7.30am on Sunday while he was fishing for bronze whaler sharks.

"It grabbed part of the prop on the motor and came up and down three or four times for about 15 minutes," he said.

"Then it cruised off for a while and came back. It must have been curious."

Mr Flounders said he was "shell-shocked" when he saw the shark. "It was very scary because we had no idea what the shark was going to do," he said.

"It was the first one I have seen out on the boat and I hope it'll be the last."

Mr Edwards said it was important for fishermen not to panic if they saw a Great White near their boat. "It's best to just leave it alone and not do anything."

Despite the recent Great White sightings, Surf Lifesaving SA lifesaving services manager Shane Daw said swimmers should not be "too alarmed".

"All is we ask is that people swim at beaches which are patrolled by lifesavers and make sure they are alert at all times," Mr Daw said.

"From what we've been told there appears there isn't any immediate threat to anyone."

Anyone who sees a Great White shark should report it to Fishwatch SA on 1800 065 522.

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