Gloomy mood on Waihī beach as community processes shark attack

As officials seek more information about the shark that attacked and killed a woman on a beach near Waihī, tourists who witnessed the attack say their hearts go out to the victim’s family and friends.

The beach appeared to cry with the rest of the community on Friday as raindrops slowly fell on the black sand, and the gray and gloomy sky reflected the mood of everyone on the beach.

A lone member of the coast guard and police officer could be seen watching the waves crash, coffee in hand, and all appeared to be processing the event that had unfolded.

The tourists walking along the beach moved slowly, and they were few and far between.

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Emergency services were called to the beach around 5.10pm Thursday after reports that a woman was injured in the water.

Police said initial indications suggested she may have been injured by a shark. The victim is believed to have had bite wounds to at least one of his legs.

Despite vigorous cardiopulmonary resuscitation by emergency services on the victim, who was in his early 20s, he died at the scene.

A local iwi has placed a rāhui around the area.

This stretches from the north end of Waihī Beach to Bowentown Heads and across the harbor to Ongare, Tuapiro and Tanner PT, a social media post from the Otawhihi Marae Trust said.

Harvesting shellfish and all fishing is prohibited during the rāhui, which is expected to run until 7 a.m. on January 15.

One man, who did not want to be named, said he saw the attack unfold and that his heart really went out to the woman’s friends and family.

He said the woman was swimming directly in front of the lifeguard flags, but was quite far from the beach.

“I heard some screaming and then I saw the IRB come out to look for her.

“Obviously, his friends were very distraught.”

First responders put her in quickly and were doing everything they could to keep her alive with CPR, she said.

“They were trying very, very hard.”

The man has been on vacation in the area for years and is also a fisherman who regularly fishes in that section of the ocean, and said his first thought was that it had been taken out in a rip.

Sharks in the area were not uncommon, and he said that in one bay he had heard of the catch of a baby white shark in December.

Another witness, Elliot Hall, said he was told by a local resident that the victim was swimming past the waves when he started screaming.

Lifeguards quickly arrived at the scene and pulled the woman out of the water.

Hall arrived when paramedics appeared and wondered what was going on. He said he watched paramedics perform CPR on the woman for more than 20 minutes as family and friends gathered around her.

Tadhg Stopford said a man and woman next to the victim appeared to be in “shocked distress” when an IV was introduced and vigorous CPR continued.

Despite efforts, the woman could not be revived.

Stopford said that after CPR was stopped, the couple’s shock deepened and the man walked out to sea, where he remained for several minutes. “I felt … your loss,” Stopford said.

The death of the victim will be referred to the forensic doctor.

‘SO TRAGIC’

Kina Scollay, a founding member of the New Zealand Great White Shark Project, said the news of the attack was “absolutely terrible.”

“It is something very rare. There are a lot of sharks in the ocean that don’t hunt people, it doesn’t happen very often. “

Scollay said that at this time of year on Waihī Beach, there were usually a lot of sharks around the shoals, but they were almost exclusively sharks that probably wouldn’t hurt people.

White sharks were also around the shores at this time of year, he said.

“This is unusual. At this time of year, thousands of people are swimming in that area. In general, you shouldn’t have to worry about sharks.

“It is so tragic. My thoughts are with the woman’s family. “

Waihī Beach is a coastal city with a population of approximately 2,700 people. The main beach is 10 kilometers long, making it a popular spot for tourists.

SHARK ATTACKS IN NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand’s last fatal shark attack was in 2013.

While swimming off Muriwai Beach in West Auckland, filmmaker Adam Hunter Strange, 47, died while swimming after being attacked by multiple sharks while training for a race.

In 2009, a capsized kayaker was apparently bitten by a great white shark in Whangamata, north of Waihī Beach at the base of the Coromandel Peninsula.

There have been 12 fatal shark attacks in New Zealand since the mid-19th century.