A shark attack on Queensland’s Gold Coast has killed an Australian Australian man, the first fatal attack on a tourist city beach in more than 60 years.
Nick Slater, 46, was on Greenmount Beach at Coolingatta – a well-known surf spot – when a shark was burning at his feet on Tuesday.
Nearby surfers found him floating in shallow water next to his board.
He was taken to shore and given first aid but died on the spot.
Authorities on Wednesday closed an 18-kilometer (11-mile) section of coastline to search for Jetsky for helicopters and sharks – it is said to be 3 meters great white.
“Once we know the shark isn’t around or we’ve tracked it, the beach will reopen,” said city Mayor Tom Tate.
He said it was the first shark death on Gold Coast Beach since 1958, with authorities investigating the incident.
Field protected by mesh and hook
Local real estate agent Mr. Slater was surfing next to Snapper Rocks Point, which hosted the World Surf League competition in March.
A witness told the Courier Mail newspaper that Mr Slater was cut in the upper part, and “it was taken too much”.
A surfer assisting Jade Parker said there were large bite marks on Mr Slater’s board.
“It was about the same circumference as the basketball … and there was still a tooth in the fiberglass that I wanted,” he told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
The Gold Coast is one of Australia’s most famous tourist destinations, popular for its long white-sand beaches, surfing breaks and inland waterways.
Its shores have been protected by shark nets and drumlines – bait hooks suspended underwater – since the 1960s, and shark attacks have been rare.
Officials said it was too early to say whether additional measures would be needed for shark protection.
The Gold Coast was hit by a deadly shark attack in 2003, but the incident took place in a wide canal connected to the sea.
Mr Slater’s death is the sixth fatal attack by sharks in Australia this year, most of them on the country’s east coast.
In June, two surfers were fatally attacked in separate incidents in nearby North New South Wales.
