INTO THE JAWS OF DEATH
DIVER GIVEN JOB FROM HELL
POOR council workers had to don snorkels and goggles and dive into the Broadwater yesterday to see if a shark was still trapped in a swimming hotspot.
The 2m bull shark is believed to have jumped over the safety nets at the Tipplers swimming enclosure, off South Stradbroke Island.
Even a four-year-old girl who first saw the shark on Sunday morning was recorded on video saying: “I can’t swim in there.”
A council officer was yesterday sent into the water to double check whether the predator was still inside the netted swimming enclosure.
It was found to be shark free.
“Officers also snorkelled the entire enclosure and confirmed the shark was no longer within the enclosure,” a council spokesman said.
The spokesman said no damage or holes which the shark could have swam through were found in the enclosure.
With high tides ruled out as a way the shark could get into the swimming area, council said it was likely the shark “jumped” over the net while chasing bait fish.
“With the increased activity of bait fish in the water at this time of year, it’s not unusual for bull sharks to breach out of the water,” the council spokesman said.
A council spokeswoman said it was the first time a shark had made its way into a swimming enclosure in at least a decade.
Little Grace Haskew and her mother Jeanette saw the shark about 9.45am on Sunday when Grace was about to go for a swim.
“Normally, my little girl jumps straight in,” Ms Haskew said.
“But someone said it looked like a dolphin was in there, so we ran over and had a look.”
Ms Haskew, whose footage went viral on social media, soon discovered it was not a dolphin.
Council workers were called to deflate the floats around the enclosure so the shark could escape.
I DON’T KNOW IF IT WOULD HAVE ATTACKED. IT SEEMED PRETTY STRESSED OUT — IT COULD HAVE BEEN THERE FOR QUITE A WHILE. MY DAUGHTER WAS FINE, SHE ENDED UP GOING FOR A LITTLE DIP BESIDE THE ENCLOSURE
JEANETTE HASKEW
Ms Haskew, a Hope Island resident, said she didn’t think the shark was dangerous.
“It did a couple of laps, but the tide was dropping and we didn’t see it again (because it went into the deeper water),” she said.
“I don’t know if it would have attacked. It seemed pretty stressed out — it could have been there for quite a while.
“My daughter was fine, she ended up going for a little dip beside the enclosure.”