Sharks cancel event
THE 2018 Margaret River Pro was cancelled yesterday and the World Surf League event may be in jeopardy due to fears of shark attacks.
Two recreational surfers were mauled by sharks about 6km from the Pro’s main event site on Monday.
Alejandro Travaglini, 37, needed surgery to both legs after he was attacked at Cobblestones beach in Gracetown, while 41-year-old Jason Longgrass walked to an ambulance after he was bitten on the leg at nearby Lefthanders break.
The World Surf League says the safety of surfers is a priority and it has decided to cancel the rest of the competition.
“If we decided to continue the event under the current circumstances and something terrible were to take place, we would never forgive ourselves,” WSL chief executive Sophie Goldschmidt said.
The WSL says at this stage, it does not have plans to abandon the event in future years.
But the shark scares are sure to play against hopes of the Margaret River Pro earn- ing a new deal to stay on the elite tour.
The event has one more year left on its deal.
However, its long-term future was under threat even before this week.
One-time world champion Gabriel Medina expressed fears about re-entering the water following the shark attacks and current world No.1 Italo Ferreira echoed his sentiments.
The presence of beached whales in the area attracted sharks and contributed to their aggressive behaviour.
There were reports that as one of the whales was being towed out to sea, up to three sharks followed trying to feed off the carcass.
How the cancellation of the event affects world title points remains to be seen.
The women’s event was up to the quarter-final stage, while the men were about to enter Round 3.
WSL organisers say there is a chance the remainder of the event may be run later this year at a yet-to-be decided location.
Or if that can’t be squeezed into the tour, then the WSL has an option of distributing points as it sees fit.