Shark victim caught in rip
Kaelah Marlow, 19, from Hamilton, was the young woman who died after a shark attack at Waihı¯ Beach.
Police released her name yesterday, extending their deepest sympathies to her family and loved ones.
Marlow was understood to have gotten into trouble at the beach while swimming.
Amanda Gould who was in the water just five metres away from the shark attack victim, said Marlow was pulled out by a rip before the fatal attack. Gould was swimming waist-deep with her husband and two boys, aged 8 and 10, but went back to shore after feeling uncomfortable in the rip.
That’s when the horror unfolded.
She thought at least 15 minutes passed before people realised the woman needed help.
‘‘No one saw her waving out, but I did hear a scream.
‘‘You could tell she was struggling because there is no way she would go that far out.’’
Lifeguards went out in rough conditions, which pushed the rescue boat back as they tried to launch.
Gould didn’t realise a shark was around until the victim was brought to shore – she’d thought a second person was in the water.
‘‘The lifeguard said ‘no, that’s a shark, we need to get people out of the water’.
‘‘So I was watching the shark’s fin go around, not another person.’’
Stuff understands the shark involved was a white pointer (great white). It was chaos on the shore and there were people panicking, Gould said.
Despite vigorous CPR, the woman died at the scene.
‘‘It was shocking, surreal, and we were all a bit freaked out . . . It keeps playing on my mind.
‘‘I’m really sad for the girl and I feel for the family. It’s so shocking that someone’s life can be taken away just by that one event. One minute she’s swimming and the next she’s pulled out and then that happened. ’’
The lifeguards ‘‘were trying really, really hard’’ with CPR, said another witness, who did not want to be named.
Tadhg Stopford was also on the beach and saw a man next to the victim walk into the sea after CPR stopped. He stayed there for several minutes.
‘‘I felt . . . his loss,’’ Stopford said.
After the commotion of Thursday, the beach was quiet under a sombre grey sky yesterday. Raindrops pelted the black sand in the early morning, and a coastguard member and police officer could be seen watching the waves break, coffee in hand. Holidaymakers walking down the beach moved slowly, and were few and far between. Police said they could not confirm the exact cause of the woman’s death, but indications were she was injured by a shark. A post-mortem was being carried out yesterday, Eastern Waikato Area Commander, Inspector Dean Anderson said. That would give police more information, but a Coroner would ultimately rule on the cause of the woman’s death.
‘‘We appreciate her death was extremely traumatic for those who were at Waihı¯ Beach yesterday and we are offering Victim Support services to anyone who requires it.’’
Lifeguards who helped the woman on Thursday were given time off, and reinforced by helpers from surrounding clubs.
‘‘They are doing all right,’’ Surf Lifesaving Eastern region lifesaving manager Chaz GibbonsCampbell said.
‘‘[We have] taken them off the beach today to give them a break and our support team will be working with them.’’
A fresh group of lifeguards was brought in from around the Coromandel and Bay of Plenty.
‘‘It’s really pleasing to see the support from neighbouring clubs.’’
A ra¯ hui, or temporary prohibition, from Thursday evening originally only covered the collection of shellfish and fishing.
But swimming was also ruled out around midday yesterday, Gibbons-Campbell said.
Stuff understands a shark was seen in the waters at the Island View area of Waihı¯ beach, around 4km from where the woman was bitten, yesterday afternoon.
A source could not confirm if it was the same shark involved in Thursday’s fatal attack.
The ra¯ hui was expected to be enforced until 7am on January 15.
Shark attacks are very rare, though there are often shark sightings in the Coromandel and Waihı¯ areas, Gibbons-Campbell said.
‘‘The water this year has been really warm [so we’ve had] lots of reports of people seeing sharks, but the actual attacks are really rare and the last one was quite some time ago.
‘‘It is their home their domain so when we enter the water it’s us having to respect their environment.’’