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08/17/2010 Nicholas Edwards ( Australia ) *** Fatal ***

Recent listing of shark attacks 2010 and Shark Attack Related Incidents in 2010.
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alb
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Re: 08/17/2010 Nicholas Edwards ( Australia ) *** Fatal ***

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Touching memorial for Busselton's shark attack victim


JACINTA BOLSENBROEK
25 Aug, 2010 11:09 AM
Nick's son Nathan enters the water to join the surfers who paid tribute to his dad.
Nick's son Nathan enters the water to join the surfers who paid tribute to his dad.
nicholas-edwards_3.jpg (130.65 KiB) Viewed 33588 times
AFTER a touching memorial for shark attack victim Nick Edwards at the South Point beach on Sunday, members of the community reached out to his family and have now established the ‘Nick Edwards Memorial Trust Fund’.
Mr Edwards, 31, was on his surfboard last Tuesday morning when he suffered a severe shark bite to his right leg off South Point surf break near Gracetown.

Despite gallant attempts from locals, his injuries were so severe he could not be saved.

On Sunday, more than 100 surfers paddled out to form a giant heart to pay tribute to a fellow surfer, killed by a shark.

Dunsborough Sergeant Craig Anderson, who attended the memorial, said he had been approached by a number of people wanting to help out the family.

“I’ve been to the bank and set up a trust fund, because a lot of people have approached me and said they wanted to help out the kids,” he said.

"Funds donated to the trust will go directly towards supporting Nick’s two young children, Lucy and Nathan, and his wife Melissa and provide valuable financial assistance into their future. People can contact the Dunsborough Police Station for more information, on 9781 3330.”

Hundreds of people, including Nick’s wife Melissa and their two children gathered on the beach for a memorial service, which started at 11.15am on Sunday morning, to pay tribute to the surfer.

Melissa thanked those who tried to save Nick’s life and paid tribute to him as a father and husband.

“He was a devoted father, a wonderful husband, a hard worker and the love of my life,” she said.

“I’m sure he is now and forever surfing the endless waves.”

Nick’s 10-year-old son Nathan took part in the tribute, on a jetski, and paid a minute’s silence along with the surfers that formed a giant heart in the water.

Sunday’s service included music, poetry and speeches before the community joined together to bless the bay and have a barbecue on the beach.

Donations can be made to the Nick Edwards Memorial Trust Fund at any Bankwest Branch or via electronic transfer to BSB 306-089, Account Number 2711524.

Please call the Dunsborough Police Station on 9781 3330 for more information.


http://www.busseltonmail.com.au/news/lo ... 23410.aspx
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alb
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Re: 08/17/2010 Nicholas Edwards ( Australia ) *** Fatal ***

Post by alb »

Seals may have lured killer shark to surfer


Nicolas Perpitch, Tony Barrass From:The Australian August 18, 2010 12:00AM


A POD of seals is thought to have lured a massive shark towards Nicholas Edwards, a fly-in, fly-out mine worker enjoying an early-morning wave.

The shark was lured just minutes before he was attacked yesterday at one of Western Australia's best-known surf breaks.

In the second fatal shark attack at the Margaret River outpost of Gracetown in just six years, and the fifth off the WA coast since 2000, frantic locals used a leg-rope as a tourniquet in a desperate bid to stop Mr Edwards, 31, a father of two, bleeding to death after he dragged himself on to rocks at Cowaramup Bay about 8am.

On a still, grey morning, locals battled for more than 30 minutes to keep him alive and tried to lift his spirits by talking to him about his wife and two children, a two-year-old girl and a boy, 7, who are believed to have moved to WA three years ago from the Gold Coast. But it was all in vain -- he did not recover consciousness and died soon afterwards.

Earlier, Mr Edwards told two other surfers out catching waves with him that he planned to build a house on a newly purchased block of land at Busselton, 230km south of Perth.

Just before 8am, one of the three surfers paddled to shore, soon followed by the second surfer.

The victim, who is believed to work at a Goldfields mine site, had been surfing the famous South Point break alone for about 20 minutes before the shark, believed to be a white pointer because of its size, attacked, ripping at his right leg and upper thigh.

Mark Tomlinson, a Gracetown local who in 2004 had sat with a dying Brad Smith after the 29-year-old carpenter was mauled by two sharks at the nearby break of Lefthanders, was checking the waves at South Point yesterday. The sea was glassy and smooth, with a relatively small swell rolling into the bay, he said. "I saw the white water. I didn't see the shark, but the amount of white water it sent into the air was unbelievable," he told The Australian. "I thought he (the victim) would be all right because I saw him swim into the rocks, but then he disappeared under a wave."

Like Mr Tomlinson, Rob Alder was weighing up his surfing options yesterday as he looked through binoculars while standing on the veranda of his Gracetown home, which overlooks Cowaramup Bay.

When he realised something had happened, he rang the local store and told them to get in touch with emergency authorities, as mobile telephone reception in the area is notoriously bad. He then jumped on his motorbike, sped down to the beach and ran around to the point where Mr Edwards was lying on the beach after another surfer had dragged him off the rocks.

"I took the leg-rope off my board and put it around his thigh to use as a tourniquet. He was unconscious and he had lost a lot of colour," Mr Alder told The Australian. For the next 30 minutes, the men fought to save his life, administering mouth-to-mouth and CPR.

"After we saw some colour come back to his face, it was amazing, it was really good, and we thought he might pull through.

"He had swum in a long way (after the attack). That's a heroic struggle. He really wanted to make it -- it's a long way from where his board was floating."

Ed Kilgallon, another local, was surfing yesterday at Huzza's, a smaller break closer to shore, when he heard a whistle and looked up to see a man yelling "Shark! Shark!"

Once on shore, he helped about six others to "do everything we could" to save Mr Edwards.

"I saw he had a wedding ring and was telling him that his wife wanted to see him again."

Another surfer said he saw a big pod of seals swim past him minutes before the attack.

Last night, the blinds were drawn at the Edwardses' Busselton home and The Australian was told the family was in shock.


http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/se ... 5906570924
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alb
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Re: 08/17/2010 Nicholas Edwards ( Australia ) *** Fatal ***

Post by alb »

Surfer Bleeds to Death After Grisly Shark Attack Off Australian Coast

The family of a surfer fatally mauled on Tuesday by a shark off the coast of Western Australia spoke out after learning of his death.

Nick Edwards, 31, bled to death after being attacked about 8:15 a.m. local time at South Point in Gracetown, about 160 miles south of Perth.

Emergency services workers rushed to the scene, and paramedics transported him to Margaret River Hospital, where he later died.

His wife asked for privacy as the family -- including the couple's children, aged seven and two -- struggled to come to terms with the tragedy.

Edwards' mother Helen said news of the attack had devastated the family.

"It's a very hard time ... We're just trying to deal with it, and come to terms with it," she said.

It was believed a pod of seals attracted the shark to the area.

Edwards was enjoying flawless six-foot waves on a day off before he was due to return to the Goldfields on Wednesday, where he worked fly-in fly-out in the mining industry.

Fellow beachgoers said six people dragged the critically injured man from the sea and administered CPR for 20 minutes until an ambulance arrived.

Eddie Kilgallon, 42, who was surfing nearby, said he ran along the shore to where the victim had been dragged out of the water. "I was holding what was left of his leg together. The bottom half of his thigh was exposed and ripped open. Half of his calf muscle was also torn to shreds," Kilgallon said. "I saw he had a wedding ring and was telling him that his wife wanted to see him again."

Local rangers also retrieved the man's surfboard, which was snapped in half.

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2010/08/17 ... ian-coast/
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Re: 08/17/2010 Nicholas Edwards ( Australia ) *** Fatal ***

Post by alb »

Surfer killed by shark in Western Australia
Nicholas Edwards, of Busselton, south of Perth
Nicholas Edwards, of Busselton, south of Perth
Channel 9 identified the shark attack victim as Nicholas Edwards, of Busselton, south of Perth. Picture: Channel 9 Source: HWT Image Library
Senior Constable Ross Bartley with the surfboard that was snapped in half in the fatal shark attack.
Senior Constable Ross Bartley with the surfboard that was snapped in half in the fatal shark attack.
Senior Constable Ross Bartley with the surfboard that was snapped in half in the fatal shark attack. Picture: Mogens Johansen Source: HWT Image Library

Surfer dies after shark attack in WA

A surfer has died after being attacked by a shark near Margaret River in Western Australia's south...

WITNESSES have told of desperately trying to revive a surfer whose leg was "torn to shreds" by a shark in Western Australia's southwest.

The 31-year-old father was surfing at the popular South Point break near Gracetown, about 270km south of Perth, when he was attacked around 8.15am (WST) today.

Emergency service workers rushed to the surf beach, which is only accessible by 4WD, and the man was taken to Margaret River Hospital but died from his injuries.

The Nine Network has named him as Nicholas Edwards, a fly-in fly-out worker in WA's Goldfields region from nearby Busselton. He leaves behind two young children, aged 2 and 7.

Gracetown resident Rob Alder, who did CPR on the injured man, said he had been checking the surf from his balcony when he noticed half a board floating without a rider.

"We pulled him up on to the shore and gave him CPR. He was unconscious and as white as a sheet but we got some colour back into him. We thought he had a chance."

Mr Alder broke down when he heard that the injured surfer had died.

"It was an honour to try and save a brother. It feels like I've lost a brother.

"We treated him real good. We did everything we possibly could. He didn't die alone. We really pumped his heart. I did mouth-to-mouth and gave him my breath, but it wasn't enough.

"If I had have been attacked, that's how I would like to be looked after. We're surfers, it could happen to any of us at any time."

Mr Alder was one of six people who dragged the injured man from the swell and administered CPR for 20 minutes until an ambulance arrived. One of his legs had been shredded by the giant beast.

Local surfer Eddie Kilgallon, 42, was surfing about 200m from South Point when he heard shouting from the carpark and a man yelling: "Shark! Shark!''.

Mr Kilgallon ran along the shore to where the victim had been dragged out of the water.

"We wrapped a jumper around his legs and used a leg rope as a torniquet," he said.

"I was holding what was left of his leg together. The bottom half of his thigh was exposed and ripped open. Half of his calf muscle was also torn to shreds.

"I saw he had a wedding ring and was telling him that his wife wanted to see him again."

Sergeant Graham Clifford of WA police media said the man's name would be released as soon as possible to allay concerns, with police taking hundreds of calls from locals worried that a family member or friend could have been the deceased.

Department of Fisheries WA regional manager Phil Shaw said fisheries officers would try to determine if the shark was still in the area, what species it was and whether it posed a risk.

It was not known if the shark was a Great White and any decision to destroy a shark would depend on the risk assessment, he said.

"If it posed a continuing risk, if it was determined that it was likely to keep hanging around and become a threat then that would be the decision, but it would be a last resort."

Great Whites were common off that part of the WA coast and were a protected species, Mr Shaw said.

It is the first fatal shark attack in WA since December 2008 when Brian Guest, 51, was taken by a giant white pointer in about 5m of water while snorkelling for crabs with his son Daniel near their beachside home.



http://www.news.com.au/national/shark-a ... z0wryVzCLz
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alb
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Re: 08/17/2010 Nicholas Edwards ( Australia ) *** Fatal ***

Post by alb »

Surfer dies after shark attack

Fatal attack: South Point, left, near Gracetown, right. (Google Maps)
Fatal attack: South Point, left, near Gracetown, right. (Google Maps)
gracetown-8-17-10.jpg (21.59 KiB) Viewed 35031 times
Fatal attack: South Point, left, near Gracetown, right. (Google Maps)

Police say the man was surfing south of South Point when he was attacked at about 8:15am WSDT.

He received some treatment on the beach and was rushed to hospital but died shortly afterwards.

Resident Cassandra Fisher says the alarm was raised by a man who had been watching the surfer from his veranda.

"We got a call from someone who saw a fellow lose his board but then lost sight of the guy," she said.

"So we quickly went down there and it turns out there was a shark down there and we know that he's been bitten. We do know it's a young man."

Gracetown, which is close to the tourist town of Margaret River, is 270 kilometres south of Perth.

Another surfer, Brad Smith, died in 2004 when he was attacked by a shark at one of Gracetown's back beaches, called Lefthanders.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2010 ... 985128.htm
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08/17/2010 Nicholas Edwards ( Australia ) *** Fatal ***

Post by alb »

Australian surfer dead after shark attack

A surfer has died after being attacked by a large shark in Australia's Margaret River area.

Police and the RAC helicopter were dispatched to a beach south of Cowaramup Bay in the Gracetown area this morning.

Police have confirmed the man has died from his injuries after being rushed to hospital. They could not say how old he was or confirm his identity.

The man is believed to have been attacked while surfing on his own, at a beach only accessible by four-wheel-drive vehicles.

The attack reportedly happened about 8.15am. He was then rushed to Margaret River Hospital with serious injuries.

The Gracetown area is a well-known and notorious surfing spot. A popular local surfer Brad Smith, 29, was killed by a shark while surfing at Lefthanders beach in July, 2004.

There were reports Mr Smith was attacked by two sharks, described as being great whites, but the type of species was never confirmed.

A teenager surfer, Cameron Rowe, saw the two sharks and described how one kept attacking Mr Smith, with blood spilling everywhere.

Western Australia's south-west coast is notorious for sharks, who follow migrating whales in search of food. There have been many white pointer sightings in the area.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/marlborough-expr ... ark-attack
Last edited by alb on Tue Aug 17, 2010 9:19 am, edited 1 time in total.
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