Why Are Sharks Attacking Like Crazy in South Australia?
Richard Vinall was in the midst of his morning routine, a swim at Port Noarlunga, last week, when the 60-something-year-old man was attacked by a shark. He was bitten on the thigh, badly. After being treated on the beach, he was transported to the hospital where he remains in critical condition.
This was just the latest in a surge of attacks, sightings, and curious behavior from sharks on South Australia's coastline. The area has a history of being sharky. But this is something different. And now, officials believe they know why – or at least a contributing factor – to the spike in attacks.
Speaking with ABC, Deputy Premier Susan Close, (and also the state's environment minister) named a huge, toxic algal bloom as the culprit for sharks 'not behaving normally.' She continued:
'They're more numerous along our metropolitan coastline than we normally expect to see and also they appear to be in some distress and there's some talk of them being more aggressive.'
The apparent algal bloom – which is harmful to marine life, even causing neurological damage – is the size of Kangaroo Island off South Australia. That's more than triple the size of Los Angeles.Recently, a 10-foot great white shark found itself stranded in shallow water at a South Australia beach. Locals waded out to the shark, and helped it back to sea, using only their bare hands. Speaking to the aberrant nature of such an incident, one of the rescuers recounted: 'The tide was on its way out, and it looked to be confused.' In that scenario, luckily, nobody was nipped.
And soon after, another 10-foot great white beached itself at a different South Australia beach. This one could not be saved. As one witness said, 'It was struggling. It was rolling around. Its belly was up. It looked like it was pretty sick.'Looking back over the last two years, it hasn't just been sharks washing ashore sick and confused. Two surfers have been killed in South Australia. Earlier this year, 28-year-old Lance Appleby was taken by a shark while surfing Granites Beach on the Eyre Peninsula, and his body was never found; then, in 2023, 15-year-old Khai Cowley was attacked and killed while surfing Ethel Beach.
Watch out, South Australians. It's getting seriously sharky down there.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New York Times
3 days ago
- New York Times
Australian Court Says Journalist Critical of Israel Was Wrongfully Fired
An Australian court ruled on Wednesday that the country's main public broadcaster had illegally fired a journalist for reasons that included a social media post critical of Israel's war in the Gaza Strip. The journalist, Antoinette Lattouf, had sued the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, saying it had taken her off the air in December 2023 for expressing a political opinion. The ABC removed her after she made an Instagram post highlighting a Human Rights Watch report that accused Israel of 'using starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.' Her dismissal touched off heated debates within the taxpayer-funded ABC, one of Australia's most prominent news organizations, about how and by whom the war should be covered. The broadcaster maintained that Ms. Lattouf had violated its social media guidelines and that because she was a freelance contractor, filling in on a morning radio program, she was never fired. But in the Federal Court of Australia's ruling, Justice Darryl Rangiah wrote that expressing her political opinion was one reason ABC had fired Ms. Lattouf, which he called a violation of the country's labor laws. He ordered the broadcaster to pay her 70,000 Australian dollars, about $45,500, in compensation. Further legal proceedings will determine whether the ABC will pay additional financial penalties. Ms. Lattouf was already an outspoken critic of Israel's actions in Gaza and a frequent contributor to the ABC when she was tapped as a fill-in host, less than three months after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, setting off the war. She was three days into a five-day stint when the ABC told her she would not be going on the air for the rest of her contract. In her short time hosting the radio show 'Sydney Mornings,' the ABC had received a barrage of complaints — which the judge described as an 'orchestrated campaign' — urging it to take Ms. Lattouf off the air. They questioned her impartiality and accused her of being antisemitic, according to testimony in the case. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Disgraced former Rep. Anthony Weiner among scandal-ridden New York City candidates
New York City's municipal races are bringing disgraced politicians back into the limelight, with multiple candidates seeking a political comeback and raising the question of whether voters will give them a second -- or third -- chance. Among the slate is Anthony Weiner, the disgraced former congressman whose downfall came after a slew of sexting scandals that culminated in a 21-month federal prison sentence, who is vying for one of Manhattan's City Council seats. This comes as New York City's mayoral race faces its share of controversy as well, with former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo continuing to deny the sexual harassment allegations that led to his resignation nearly four years ago. And though the federal investigation into incumbent Mayor Eric Adams over fraud and bribery was dismissed earlier this year, he continues to take heat as the first sitting mayor to be indicted as he attempts to court voters running as an independent. MORE: A Look Back at Anthony Weiner's Sexting Scandals Yet Weiner, 60, is attempting to differentiate himself from the other candidates with checkered pasts by emphasizing accountability for his wrongdoings. "All of that happened, and I accept responsibility for it," he told ABC's "The View" in May. "You won't hear me do what some other people in public life have done -- Donald Trump or Andrew Cuomo or Eric Adams: 'I'm a victim, they persecuted me for no reason.' I was dealing with very serious problems. I was dealing with what I now understand to be addiction." "I am saying 'Yes, I did these things. I got into recovery. I tried to make my life better,'" he said. "And now I can be of service. And I'm a damn good politician." In 2011, Weiner resigned from his congressional seat after a sexually explicit photo was posted on his social media page -- which he initially said was a hack, but later admitted was his own doing -- in addition to revelations of more sexting content with various women online. He attempted a comeback two years later in an unsuccessful New York City mayoral run. Despite his initial lead, his campaign was plagued by controversy as more sexually explicit messages and images became public, with Weiner operating under the alias "Carlos Danger." In 2016, new sexting allegations came to light which prompted his wife Huma Abedin to announce the couple's split. In 2017, Weiner was sentenced to 21 months in federal prison after one of his sexting scandals was found to involve a 15-year-old girl. Following his release, he was also designated a Level 1 registered sexual offender, classified as a low-risk to reoffend. MORE: Former Rep. Anthony Weiner says 'its good to be out' after prison stint for lewd text messages During his appearance on "The View," Weiner emphasized that he was still in recovery for sex addiction. He also recognized that he would receive blowback during his campaign, but he did not think his past should hold him back. He cited a need for change among Democratic candidates as his reason for getting back into politics. "When I woke up in November of '24 and saw the election results -- but more than who won, I looked around New York City and saw how many fewer Democrats even turned out to vote. And I started to say to myself 'something is seriously wrong here,'" he said. "We're hardcore anti-Trump territory and Trump did better." Weiner presents a more moderate platform than some of his Democratic counterparts. According to his campaign website, some of his goals include increasing police presence, protecting undocumented immigrants but deporting violent criminals, taxing the rich, and eliminating waste. In Tuesday's Democratic primary, Weiner faces Assembly Member Harvey Epstein, Manhattan Community Board Chair Andrea Gordillo, nonprofit leader Sarah Batchu, and community advocate Allie Ryan.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
‘The View': Former Prosecutor Sunny Hostin Says Diddy Jury ‘Doesn't Seem to Be Buying What the Prosecution Is Selling'
As the federal prosecution of Sean 'Diddy' Combs is expected to go to jury this week, 'The View' host Sunny Hostin suspects the prosecution may not get every conviction they're hoping for. According to the ABC host, who is also a former federal prosecutor, her observations lead her to think that the jury is not 'buying what the prosecution is selling.' The disgraced music mogul's looming verdict led the day's Hot Topics, with moderator Joy Behar — Whoopi Goldberg is out this week, accepting an honor in Italy — reminding the audience that Hostin has been in the courtroom herself for much of the trial. Naturally, the women were curious for her take. 'It's been really fascinating to watch, because this jury doesn't seem to be buying what the prosecution is selling,' Hostin said, 'That's just my take.' She noted that it surprised her a bit that Combs' defense team called no testimonial witnesses, though she was not surprised Combs himself did not take the stand. According to Hostin, conviction rates tend to rise when the defendant takes the stand themself. But only entering witnesses via evidence, rather than bringing in any to testify, signaled optimism from the defense to Hostin. 'That tells me that they think the prosecution proved the defense case. That's what that tells me,' she said. That said, when asked whether she thinks Combs will be cleared of all wrongdoing, Hostin doubted it. 'I don't think the prosecution has proven racketeering, I don't think the prosecution has proven sex trafficking,' she explained. 'But in terms of taking prostitutes across state lines to engage in prostitution, that's the Mann Act, I think there's pretty clear evidence of that. But that's less than — the max is 10 years.' 'The View' airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC. The post 'The View': Former Prosecutor Sunny Hostin Says Diddy Jury 'Doesn't Seem to Be Buying What the Prosecution Is Selling' appeared first on TheWrap.
