"Shark Attack Survivors News Archive"

01/09/2022 -Alvira Repia-King 13 yr - New Zealand

Recent Shark Attacks in 2022 Latest Shark Attacks as they happen in 2022. We also include Shark Attack Related Incidents as they occur in 2022.
Post Reply
alb
Posts: 1569
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:41 pm

Re: 01/09/2022 -Alvira Repia-King 13 yr - New Zealand

Post by alb »

'It came up and bit me': Oamaru teen tells of shark attack

Oamaru teenager Alvira Repia-King is on the mend after being attacked by a shark at Friendly Bay on Sunday afternoon.

She tried to remain calm as the shark gripped her arm.

"It kind of hurt at first and then I just started trying to swim, and I was screaming."

When she reached the wharf, she was pulled to safety.

The shark, described by witnesses as dark grey and about 1.8m long, swam off. It was believed to be a sevengill shark.

In a state of shock, Alvira did not feel any pain at first. She was supported by her friends, a friend's parents, and a couple who saw the incident and rushed to help.

"Once I saw the blood it kind of just like started hurting," she said.

She had been swimming in the harbour several times and had never seen a shark there.

She did not know if she would feel comfortable swimming there again.

Emergency services were called to the scene about 4.30pm and Alvira was treated by St John and transported to Oamaru Hospital. She returned home about 9.30pm on Sunday.

She had an uncomfortable sleep and was feeling tired yesterday, but said her pain level was about a four out of 10.

A Department of Conservation spokeswoman said incidents of this nature were rare and most encounters between humans and sharks did not result in bites.

New Zealand Marine Studies Centre educator Rob Lewis said in southern New Zealand, sevengill sharks often moved closer to shore in the summer and they were regular visitors to the Oamaru Harbour area.

They were "very curious animals", and fast movements and splashing could trigger them to investigate.

"Of course, their way of investigating is by biting things," Lewis said.

People should not be scared of swimming in Oamaru Harbour, he said.

"[Sevengill sharks] have been around for a very long time, and the fact that we have so few negative interactions like this should speak to the fact that they're not usually a problem."

If approached by a sevengill shark, the most important thing to do was to keep eye contact with it, "after which, you should try, as calmly as possible, to exit the water".

The 13-year-old received 52 stitches - 42 in her right arm and 10 in her back - after she was bitten several times by a shark while swimming near Holmes Wharf.

Alvira was enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon at Oamaru Harbour with four of her friends before the attack.

Some of her friends had been jumping off the wharf, but Alvira was "just floating" in the water by herself when she felt something bump into her back.

"It bumped me from behind, and then underneath me at first," she said.

"It felt like metal, a big round thing was hitting me, because it felt really hard.

"And then it came up and bit me."


https://www.rnz.co.nz/
We have another tool we are building at https://sharkattacks.net
alb
Posts: 1569
Joined: Fri Jun 18, 2010 7:41 pm

01/09/2022 -Alvira Repia-King 13 yr - New Zealand

Post by alb »

Girl taken to hospital after Oamaru Harbour shark attack

An Oamaru teenager was taken to hospital after being attacked by a shark in Oamaru Harbour yesterday.

Sergeant Tony Woodbridge, of Oamaru, said a group of about five young people had been jumping off Holmes Wharf and paddling in the harbour when the 13-year-old girl was attacked.

Emergency services were called to Friendly Bay about 4.30pm, and witnesses said the shark was dark grey and about 1.8m long, Sgt Woodbridge said.

It was believed to be a sevengill shark, which were often spotted in the Oamaru Harbour area. There had been several reports of sightings on social media over the past month.

The 13-year-old girl had several puncture wounds and was taken to Oamaru Hospital for treatment.

Sgt Woodbridge said the girl was in good spirits after the attack and the injuries were not life-threatening.

"It’s good it’s not a fatality ... she will live to tell a pretty amazing tale," he said.

The attack came as a shock to the group of young people swimming in the harbour, one of them witnessing the girl being gripped in the shark’s mouth and shaken around, he said.

Sgt Woodbridge advised people heading into the water to keep a watch for sharks and be cautious.

https://www.odt.co.nz/
We have another tool we are building at https://sharkattacks.net
Post Reply

Return to “2022 Latest Shark Attacks Recent Shark Attacks 2022”