TIMELINE: Shark attacks on North Coast
OVER the past 10 years, there have been at least 18 significant encounters with sharks off our beaches.
Three have been fatal, three required serious medical attention, and others, varying degrees of medical intervention.
One reader tells us that there were also four more confirmed attacks in 2015; January 19,2015 at Byron Bay, January 24, 2015 at Flat Rock, June 24,15 at Byron Bay, and June, 2015 at Yamba.
There are only two other reported fatalities off North Coast Beaches in the past 50 years; Martin Ford was surfing at Tallow Beach at Byron Bay when he was attacked and killed by a shark; and John Ford was scuba diving with his fiance at Julian Rocks on June 9, 1993, when he was attacked and killed by a Great White Shark.
January 19, 2007
Thomas Houghton was attacked and killed at Brunswick Heads.
October 15, 2007
Linda Whitehurst. Fought off attack after she was knocked off her surf ski at The Pass, Byron Bay
November 8, 2007
Craig Evans. Knocked off his surfboard, the shark leaving teeth marks in his board and lacerations in his wetsuit. Wategos Beach, Byron Bay
April 7, 2008
Peter Edmonds. Attacked and killed body boarding at Lighthouse Beach, Ballina
September 9, 2014
Paul Wilcox. Swimming at Clarkes Beach, Byron Bay when he was attacked and killed
February 8, 2015
Jabeez Reitman. Surfing at Seven Mile Beach, Lennox head, when a shark attacked him and knocking him off his board, leaving lacerations to his back
February 13, 2015
Tadashi Nakahara. Attacked and killed surfing at Shelly Beach, Ballina
July 2, 2015
Mathew Lee. Attacked body boarding at North Wall, Ballina
July 3, 2015
Michael Hoile. Knocked off surfboard at Lennox Point
July 31, 2015
Craig Ison. Attacked at Evans Head while surfing
November 10, 2015
Sam Morgan. Attacked surfing at Lighthouse Beach. Ballina
April 20, 2016
Zak Kedan. Attacked at Byron Bay
May 20, 2016
David Drinkwater. He and other surfers saw a bull shark at North Wall
July 26, 2016
Curran See and Harris Lake. Attacked at Sharpes Beach, Skennars Head
July 26, 2016
Surfer reportedly knocked off surfboard at Shelly Beach
September 26, 2016
Cooper Allen. Attacked at Lighthouse Beach, Ballina, surfing
October 12, 2016
Seneca Rus. Attacked at Sharpes Beach surfing
October 24, 2016
Jade Fitzpatrick. Attacked at Broken Head Beach
November 7, 2018
Shark attack at Shelly Beach, Ballina, surfing.
