(RepublicanView.org) – A teenage boy died following a shark attack in Australia in December. The incident happened at the Innes National Park on the Yorke Peninsula on the country’s south coast, an area popular with surfers. The 15-year-old boy’s body was pulled from the water in Ethel Beach, and police confirmed the shark had attacked him. Khai Cowley was described as a talented surfer by his devastated family.
According to The Advertiser, Khai’s uncle Adam Barley, who regularly surfed with his nephew, said, “He really did make the most of life, he didn’t waste a second.” The shark, believed to be a Great White, attacked the youngster while he was surfing, and witnesses tried to rescue him when it became apparent he was in trouble. Tim Philip described seeing a 4 – 5 meter-long Great White circling Khai before the attack.
The Boston Globe reported that the incident was the third deadly shark attack in the state since May 2023. The last fatal incident involving a Great White occurred in the month before Khai Cowley’s tragic death. Witnesses at a beach in the state of South Australia reported seeing a giant shark swimming with a man’s body in its mouth: no remains were located. Ian Brophy, who witnessed the incident, said, “I saw him in the wave and the shark had his body in his mouth, it was pretty gruesome.” He added, “It took every bit of him, I think,” according to CBS News.
Shark attacks are not uncommon in Australia, with The Guardian reporting in 2021 that according to international numbers, six out of 10 unprovoked shark attack fatalities in 2020 happened in the country. However, the overall number of shark encounters that year in Australia was not much higher than the average.
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