Thursday dawned bright and warm over the beaches of northern New South Wales. It was a perfect morning to enjoy sun, surf and sand. One young couple, tourists escaping the Swiss alpine autumn, couldn’t resist the temptation of a 6 a.m. swim at the remote Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park, a beautiful and rugged natural coastal haven, accessible only by dirt track.

The holidaymakers expected a refreshing dip in sun-dappled waves, and it now appears they took to the water to film dolphins with their underwater camera. Instead, death and tragedy found them. Without warning, the pair were attacked by a three-metre bull shark and savaged brutally before bystanders on the beach could rescue them.

The man, despite his own injuries, managed to fight off the shark and pull his partner out of the water, aided by bystanders who rushed in to help him, disregarding the risk to themselves. Others called emergency services for help. Sadly, nothing could be done for the young woman, who died at the scene. The man’s leg was horribly mutilated, but thanks to swift action by those good samaritans on the beach, the young man survived. He was airlifted to hospital in the city of Newcastle, north of Sydney, where he remains in a ‘serious but stable’ condition.

The sea is the shark’s territory, not ours

Bull........

© The Spectator