Shark Attack Kills Diver off Cape Town

Henri Murray was the unfortunate spear fisherman who was killed by what is thought to be great white shark. The 22 year old spear fisherman was off the coast of Cape Town with a friend when the encounter occurred. After two attempts to fend the shark off with their spear guns the shark attacked Murray. His friend shot the shark that refused to relinquish the attack. Murray is the second diver to be killed by a shark off the South African coast within 19 months.

=========================================
www.cnn.com...

Media reported on Monday that Murray had attempted to fend the shark off with his spear gun, fighting it off twice before it snatched him in its jaws. His fishing partner also tried to ward the creature off.

"His partner shot the shark with a spear," said Meriel Bartlett, a spokeswoman with the National Sea Rescue Institute.

The incident occurred near Cape Town on Saturday. The shark was presumed to be a great white, the ocean's most feared predator, which is common in the region's waters.

==========================================

It is a shame that this incident occurred, but we must not forget that we share the oceans with these mighty predators. They have a right to hunt and feed regardless of where they are. I hope that this does not spawn a shark hunt, for it would be almost impossible to locate the same shark that attacked the men.

They have spotted the shark.

Originally posted by Hellmutt in this post
"Monster shark" kills diver near Cape Town.

'Monster' shark spotted in False Bay waters

June 06 2005

The shark believed to have cut short the life of Durbanville medical student Henri Murray on Saturday, was spotted in False Bay on Sunday, dragging a fishing buoy.

Murray, 22, had been spear-fishing 150 metres offshore of Miller's Point for about an hour with Van Niekerk, 23, when, at 3.45pm, a Great White shark tried to get at him from below. He shouted to Van Niekerk, 10m away, to swim to shore, but his friend instead came to help him.

Murray managed to evade the Great White twice, but on its third attempt, the shark took him, breached and pulled him under. Van Niekerk, a few metres away, fired his speargun at the shark in the hope it would leave Murray, but to no avail.

Grant Munro, who saw the incident from a bungalow in the caravan park, said: "The shark was a massive thing, probably five metres long. It lifted him out of the water, and disappeared within seconds."

The attack on Murray was the second in the Western Cape in three months.

There have been more than 70 attacks, eight of them fatal, off the Western Cape since 1990.


A helicopter and speed boat scan the waters at Miller's Point, near Cape Town, where a student was killed by a great white shark on Saturday. Photo: Cape Times

Related News Stories:
Friend tries to rescue shark-attack victim (from June 05 2005)

WOW thanks Helmutt. I didn't even know that the spear that was shot into the shark was towing a buoy. I don't know how long that pear will manage to stay in the shark, but I would imagine it won't stay for long with a buoy draggind behind it. It will be interesting to see if they are able to find the shark again.

Why go diving in waters where there are sharks in the first place? Stupid

I guess people who do it believe the benefits outway the risks. These include recreational divers, spearfisherman, pearl divers, surfers, athletes, etc.

The chances of being attacked are still quite slim, but I'm with you. I won't be caught in the water in any of the high risk zones.

Why go diving in waters where there are sharks in the first place? Stupid

That's right...why dive in waters that are known for having a large population of sharks and a few known shark attacks....does'nt make sense.

Maybe this is just another potential Darwin Award winner?

I've swum off the coast of a few places where sharks were known to feed, and where the odd attack had occurred.

I just didn't know it at the time.


Oddly, I'm reminded of that movie Open Water...yes, yes, very tragic...but for the love of all that's chocolatey, why on earth would you go diving in shark-infested waters?!

Why?!?!

Well its one thing to do it when you don't know, another when you know the risks. A shark that size is not to be messed with, nor tempted with the delicious taste of human.