Winkipop surfers made a hasty retreat after a shark encounter. The moment, captured by a local surf cam in Victoria, Australia took place amid elevated concern of shark attacks in the region.
The incident was recorded on camera operated by Swellnet. In the (admittedly low resolution) footage, a surfer can be seen running into the fish, followed by the rest of the lineup swiftly clearing out. However, one brave (or extremely stupid) surfer sticks around to catch a wave.
Just days earlier, Victoria authorities urged beachgoers to avoid Bells Beach for fear of sharks. The warning came about as a result of a whale carcass washing up on Sunday, which officials believed could attract sharks seeking to feed on the remains. Bells and Winkipop were temporarily closed and the whale carcass was removed.
“While it is not uncommon for sharks to be present off the Victorian coast, you should exercise additional caution in the area,” wrote VicEmergency in a public alert.
It’s shaping up to be a sharky summer for Australia. That same day, a drone spotted a shark patrolling Bondi Beach, just ten days after a white shark brutally attacked a woman in Sydney.
