Young Zoe Steyn was attacked hours ago at Nahoon Reef, East London. Miraculously she returned to shore unscathed.
JP Veaudry, the Nahoon local and lensman, said that Zoe was sitting a little bit further out than him when he heard a death defying scream. He quickly turned his attention out back and saw what he described as, ”Monstrous thrashing and splashing of the water!” JP quickly paddled over and assisted Zoe in via the slipway.
It is clear from the images that the shark managed to get ahold of the top section of Zoe’s board, fortunately Zoe was completely unharmed in the incident! JP reckons if her arm was down when the shark attacked, she may have lost it.
Here at Zag, we’re just super stoked that everybody is safe and sound! Especially Zoe. As JP said on his Facebook after: “You a brave girl Zoey… more so than Mick Fanning!” And we’ll just leave that there.
Can we please stop calling these incidents “attacks”? They are simply “encounters”! If a shark with a bite radius that size wanted to “attack” this girl (or Mick Fanning for that matter) there would be absolutely nothing anyone could do, and lives would surely be lost. You’re talking about an animal that has no hands and uses its mouth to “explore” a subject/object. Your use of the word “attack” is sensationalism that promotes fear for these animals and can easily result in the dangerous backlash that we experience in Australia, with drum lines and shark culls. Make no mistake – all oceans are better for their continued existence. On behalf of an ocean loving community, I am thankful that Zoey (and Mick) is safe, but let’s not forget whose ocean we’re entering and let’s avoid misinterpreting Mother Nature’s intentions. Respectfully throwing down a big ‘shaka’ for this good news!
Peace!
ya bru like all the encounters in Reunion which have left a bunch of friends of mine either dead or maimed.
Hey Davy,
What is the situation like over there right now?
San Clemente is getting bad too..
I have a few anti shark spray canisters made of a hormone sharks release when they are in danger they have been tested and proven effective.
Can I send you a couple to try?
Get ahold of me on insta
@branno_rob
Or Facebook
Brandon Roberts
Phone
1 619 844 4333
brandonroberts1@gmail.com
@John. This wasn’t an encounter (unlike MF’s), but an attack as the teeth marks show. Except if you have inside info that the teeth marks (also called “bite marks”) were left on the board after another leash entanglement. So the difference between attack and encounter relates to intention to bite. I see clear intent here. Glad she’s safe.
An “attack” yes most defiantly ! ! ! ! ! & please stop telling us we are entering the sharks ocean ! ! ! ! humans evolved from the sea , so it is our ocean also ! ! ! !
David.. I’m sorry… what?!?!?! Humans evolved from the sea??? Either you are smoking too much much seaweed… or you are reading the wrong books, merman.
So, no hands means no attack status – its merely exploratory? Only if lives are lost its an attack? Throw another prawn on the barbie mate. Peace, wild berries and yoghurt.
Hi John , this is your comment -Can we please stop calling these incidents “attacks”? They are simply “encounters”! If, Okay Scotty beam me up is an encounter that i can believe but please look at the teeth marks left in the girls board. If you John had your hand ,arm or leg out for the encounter then i will say that your tune would be very ,very and yes you would be Fu……..:( in so much pain.It would be a lot more than an encounter. So John you make the decision Bru. regards Sean Jerram
Thank you John. It’s not an “attack”. The fact that there are bite marks does not mean it’s an “attack”. These sensationalist headlines are exactly what give sharks such a bad rep, when humans mercilessly destroy millions of them every year.
Sharks don’t have hands to test us out before genuinely “attacking”. They have their mouths and teeth. A person in a wetsuit on a surfboard looks very much like a seal from underneath. If the shark genuinely wanted to eat the person, it would have continued it’s so-called “attack” instead of stopping after it tasted surfboard.
This is an old story and it’s disappointing to see so many people still brainwashed and unwilling to learn the facts for themselves.
Idiocracy.
Does that mean snakes, bears, tigers, lions or any other wildlife animal simply encounter their prey? Sorry really didn’t mean to cause any harm. I was simply exploring my options today…
Won a cage dive a few years back, but too my surprise most of the sharks that came to the cage where youngsters, around 2 – 3m. Does make you wonder, sharks are hunters, are we not teaching the younger sharks that these shapes in the water don’t swim away when approached?
Hi Dylan,these are your comments.
Thank you John. It’s not an “attack”. The fact that there are bite marks does not mean it’s an “attack”. These sensationalist headlines are exactly what give sharks such a bad rep, when humans mercilessly destroy millions of them every year.
Okay here we go trying to analyse an attack.
-The fact that there are bite marks does not mean it’s an “attack”
-Please explain as if it was a dog bite then would it not be a attack or a sensationalist media headline.-only asking
-outcome of attack-very small mouth bite on young girls board, wow still no attack as no blood.
-okay so what was the shark doing , having a non media taste of a surfboard, or just being a juvenile shark.
I note that a young girl that surfs has not been bitten and can continue surfing, god bless.
Sean Jerram
Blog wars: there’s a good headline.
Spiders’ glassing is not that bad after all 😉
@Nico, You are quite correct, nothing wrong with the glassing ir the blank. Ruff and tough😉
Take the number of attacks per year and compare it to any other sport. We have had 9 shark attacks in Port St Johns, 8 fatal in 6 years. Sharks are millions of years older than us and still evolving…….amazing creatures
If the shark came back for a second or third bite.. that’s an attack
It’s a case of mistaken identity. She is very lucky and all sports have there injuries….
My advice if you worried about sharks stay on the beach. Never has there ever been a shark attack on the beach…. it’s always in the water…😉
Ha ha Gareth, anyone who surfs passionately will tell you that surfing is more than a sport, it’s a way of life….or a drug if you well! Once hooked, it’s almost impossible to stop!
Everyone is going to have there own opinion on this matter (and that is fine and they entitled to it!) all I can say is that it was a VERY scarey experience and I would NOT want to ‘encounter’ those razor sharp teeth at ANY stage. Accident, attack or encounter.
Everyone knows someone (if not ourselves) who’s had scary ‘encounter’ on the roads……yet we all still drive, why?
All I can say is, surfing is a LOT less dangerous than driving…..and a LOT more fun too!
Cheers
Regarding sharks, emotions run high and attitudes are diametrically opposed. Are sharks mean aggressors or important natural components of the ocean. Fact is, we have massively messed up the oceans with overfishing, pollution etc. (Just heard that pilchards have had their status changed from green to orange.) While it is argued that sharks have a rightful place in the seas, it has to be recognized that their role is changing. The decimation of fish stocks is having cascade effects on marine ecosystems. Sharks are now attacking penguins – going for their soft middles – something never recorded before. So it’s hard to buy the “important role of sharks in marine ecosystems”.
Some argue that we are entering the sharks’ domain. So if there were hungry lions around (after we decimated their prey) would they be allowed to roam the streets, or worse, on golf courses?
Just stirring.
An “encounter” would not have resulted in bite marks on her board.
A spade is a spade and this was an attack.
Hope that cleared it up for you.
You’re welcome 🙂
I had an encounter with sharks fin soup last night John….served 480 portions. Good times!
Guys…..really? Attack…….Encounter………who cares? How many deaths are there as a result of shark bites…..? Let’s compare that to how many deaths there are as a result of human action towards another human….
Sharks with follow a trace of blood or urine in the water and investigate it, from below a surfer on a board looks like food, so it will investigate closer….its not thinking “hmmm I feel like a surfer snack”! It’s doing what it does……patrols the oceans in search of food.
As with anything in life, there are risks involved, often calculated and informed, however there are certain risks that we take knowing the potential consequences and we still take them. If you were on a motorcycle and belting it down the highway at break neck speeds and a squirrel ran in front of you and you came short and lost a limb or your life as a result……..is it the squirrels fault?
JP hats off for putting yourself potentially in harm’s way to help Zoey. That is really admirable and heroic. Zoey I hope you are okay and that you will continue to persue your sport despite the risks involved.
My point, respect and understand the risks you take and know the potential consequences of them. The incident happened, which is unfortunate, but its nobody’s fault….
Zoë is my daughter. She is as passionate about the environment as she is about surfing. The declining shark population is of great concern to her! She will be back in the water tomorrow for our local trials. We are very grateful that her encounter/ attack ( call it what you will), left her unscathed. Also, all you guys who rushed to her aid and paddled back to shore with her are just awesome! That’s the spirit we try and instill in our children, and testimony to the camaraderie in the surfing community!!We are truely gratefull!!!
attack no attack just would not wanna be out there not nice at all glad she is ok
Most importantly she is fine and Nahoon Reef will sharks and all remain and amazing surf spot
what about wearing a “”no shark”” device?
An attack requires injury. A board can’t be injured but it can be damaged. So I suppose there is a basis to call it an attack but I also see it more as an encounter.
The most important thing is that Zoe is ok.
100 million sharks killed every year is a conservative estimate, and it’s more likely around 270 million. Humans… extremely poor guardians of our planet, so it’s not likely we’ll find reasonable individuals on the internet.
Too much hot air on the subject of “attack” or “encounter”….. what the damn hell, is this the level of discussion? This nonsense put out by the progressive environmental gods that they hold sway over all and the language of communication makes me wanna puke! Yes, shark populations may or may not be decimated by long liners and others, who really knows? How much ‘science’ or ‘research’ purported to be back-up fact is simply massaged data to fit a predetermined outcome which may be to guarantee funding for some more research and thus a few jobs (guaranteed income to infinity)? Considering the vast oceans against the pin drop of research and questions should be asked about the veracity of claims!
“100 million sharks killed every year….conservative estimate…” – Varen……. more thumb sucking to dramatize a point? Who’s estimate, how was it derived….?
John Gorman, Dylan, Gareth…… call the incident whatever you like but please don’t insist that the rest of us have to be subservient to your choice of words!
[…] added via a thread on the surf website zigzag.co: ‘The declining shark population is of great concern to her! She will be back in the water […]
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[…] added via a thread on the surf website zigzag.co: ‘The declining shark population is of great concern to her! She will be back in the water […]
[…] added via a thread on the surf website zigzag.co: ‘The declining shark population is of great concern to her! She will be back in the water […]
[…] added via a thread on the surf website zigzag.co: ‘The declining shark population is of great concern to her! She will be back in the water […]
[…] added via a thread on the surf website zigzag.co: ‘The declining shark population is of great concern to her! She will be back in the water […]