MY BITE FRIGHT
Debate over whether shark or large fish attacked swimmer off a Great Barrier Reef island
EXPERTS are at odds over whether diver Anika Craney was bitten by a shark off Fitzroy Island, east of Cairns.
The ambulance service and Ms Craney (left and right) believes she was the victim of a shark attack on her left leg while tourism leaders say it was likely a large fish such as a giant trevally.
The 29-year-old, after arriving by rescue helicopter at Cairns Hospital, waved, smiled and said she “still loves sharks, sharks are beautiful.”
A SCARY bite for a swimmer off Fitzroy Island has turned into a whodunit, with tourism leaders saying a shark is unlikely to be to blame.
At midday on Tuesday, 29year-old Anika Craney was swimming at Welcome Bay off Fitzroy Island when she was attacked and bitten.
Doctors on the island treated her with first-aid until the rescue helicopter arrived.
Paramedics took over from the doctors to treat her injuries by torniqueting her leg.
Ms Craney was winched off the island and flown to Cairns Hospital with a possible fracture of the left ankle and a laceration from the bite.
She was in good spirits when she arrived at the hospital, despite her injuries, and was heard shouting that “she still loves sharks” when she arrived in Cairns.
Ms Craney had been taking a break from working on a marine documentary when the attack occurred.
Queensland Ambulance Service flight critical care paramedic Terry Cumming said the injuries had been less severe than they were expecting
“We were preparing for the worst, but when we got there, the injuries weren’t as severe as we were first told, but enough to cause distress,” he said.
“She was in a little bit of pain but we managed to get that under control.”
Management at Fitzroy Island and tourism authorities have denied that a shark was responsible for the attack.
Association of Marine Park Tourism Operators’ Gareth Phillips said based on the accounts of the attack and injuries, he believed it was a very low likelihood for it to have been caused by a shark.
“Because it was a private fishing boat, there’s a strong chance it was either a giant trevally or red sea bass, because they’re known to hang out the back of these types of boats when they come into bays.”
Mr Phillips said both fish were known to attack humans, and giant trevally bites were capable of causing fractures “on the very odd occasion”.
Fitzroy Island Resort CEO
Glen Macdonald said there had never been a shark attack off the island.
“We do have reef sharks there, but we’ve never had an incident previously,” he said.
“Business at the island has been going well (since restrictions eased). I hope this doesn’t have any bearing on people’s decision to holiday in Cairns.
“It’s not an issue to be concerned about, having never happened previously.”
Tourism Tropical North Queensland CEO Mark Olsen said staff investigated the water and found no evidence of a shark in the area, where typically only small reef sharks were occasionally seen.
“Visitor safety is always a top priority, and we are pleased the patient from the private commercial fishing boat was in good spirits after the incident,” he said.
Ms Craney told QAS she had only seen the fish for a second and couldn’t identify it.
QAS reported the incident as a shark bite, though Mr Cumming said he had never heard of a shark attack occurring at Fitzroy before.
A Cairns Hospital spokesman said she was still in a stable condition at Cairns Hospital after the incident, as of late on Tuesday.