YaY! OZschwitz shark bites statist

Subject: YaY! OZschwitz shark bites statist Wed Feb 11, 2009 4:32 pm

IT was supposed to be a routine exercise in Sydney Harbour, but it ended in horror yesterday when Able Seaman Paul Degelder was attacked by one of nature's great predators.

Just before 7am, the 31-year-old clearance diver from HMAS Penguin at Balmoral, surfaced in Woolloomooloo Bay.

It was then the shark approached from below. As it bit his right hand and leg he punched the shark to fight his way free.

"He is out of surgery now and is stable but he is listed as seriously ill and has serious injuries," said Rear-Admiral Nigel Coates.

Able Seaman Degelder this morning was still in intensive care, and was in a critical but stable condition, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Able Seaman Degelder was swimming near Garden Island, acting the role of a terrorist, during an exercise called Kondari Trial, testing new technology to protect ports and ships.

He was pulled onto a safety boat, which was shadowing him and a police diver also taking part in the exercise, and given first-aid before being taken by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital.

Admiral Coates described him as a "fine young fellow" who had spent eight years in the defence force, including time in the army. Able Seaman Degelder has been living in Sydney for three years.

A defence spokesman said Sydney Harbour had been assessed as low-risk. It was the first recorded attack on a navy clearance diver and shark repellent equipment had not been used.

"Obviously we're going to have a look at this after this terrible incident, but certainly like most Sydneysiders, I and the rest of us regarded the chance of a shark attack in Sydney Harbour to be very low," Admiral Coates said.

The Commander of the Fleet said Able Seaman Degelder was an "enthusiastic diver" who loved his work. He was "incredibly fit" and about travel to Britain on exchange for a few months, "so I'm sure he's going to be very disappointed".

Yesterday's attack did not surprise The Sun-Herald fishing writer, David Lockwood, who reported at the weekend how "packs of sharks" had been sighted in the harbour.

"Big hammerheads are eating kingfish around Garden Island, where a kayaker saw a solid whaler shark," he wrote.

Yesterday, he said bull sharks, hammerheads and bronze whalers entered the harbour in February and March "when the water is warmest", chasing fish.

Craig McGill, the operator of Fishabout Tours, described Woolloomooloo Bay as a shark "hot spot" and said he would not have swum there. "In my opinion it was a stupid thing to do. Hot spots include Balmoral, Clifton Gardens, Woolloomooloo and particularly the area from Rushcutters Bay, along the Garden Island foreshore and then down to Clark Island."

John Dengate, a spokesman for the Department of Environment and Climate Change, said the increasing number of sharks in the harbour was the down side of improved water quality.

"The water quality is many times better than it used to be," he said, adding that toxic chemicals from industry, sewage and storm runoff had all been reduced since the 1970s.

Taronga Zoo's curator of the Australian Shark Attack File, John West, said it was the 50th recorded "determined attack" by a shark in the harbour, Parramatta River or Georges River. While many had only involved sharks nudging small boats, there had been 28 reported deaths.

The last incident, in 2002, involved a shark hitting a kayak on the Parramatta River. The kayaker was uninjured.

LNK

Subject: Even better Wed Feb 18, 2009 2:58 pm

Even Better!

A Navy diver who lost his hand after being attacked by a shark in Sydney Harbour says he is about to have his leg amputated, but is looking forward to rebuilding his life and career.

Navy clearance diver Able Seaman Paul de Gelder was mauled while working between HMAS Kuttabul navy base at Garden Island and Mrs Macquarie's Chair about dawn last Wednesday.

The 31-year-old was taking part in an underwater trial to test new naval defence technology when what is believed to have been a bull shark attacked him.

"I will today have my right leg amputated," Mr de Gelder said in a statement released through the defence department on Wednesday.

Subject: Re: YaY! OZschwitz shark bites statist Wed Feb 18, 2009 3:32 pm

:Dance club:

YaY! OZschwitz shark bites statist

YaY! OZschwitz shark bites statist

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