Shark Circles Fishermen

Press, Volume CI, Issue 29728, 23 January 1962, Page 14

Shark Circles Fishermen

(New Zealand Press Association)

TAURANGA. Jan. 22 A 10ft shark circled five Rotorua men as they stood on a rock in water up ■» their waists while fishing at Maketu near Te Puke, yesterday. The men “froze” as the shark swam within three feet of them The men were rescued by two spear fishermen In a small dinghy A 6ft shark was later caught from the beach and a 10ft shark caught on a line straightened th- hook and got away Bathers fied from the water when 18 big sharks were seen at Mount Maunganui. They were warned by Mr J Savage, who was flyine a Tiger Moth over the h-seh and who saw the sharks in about five feet of water. Mr

Savage, who was with Mr Campbell McKay said: “We saw one shark about 30 yards out from a.id facing the beach. The shark was lurking in the crest of a big breaker, near a group of swimmers. A lot of children were paddling close by “At 500 ft I circled the Tiger Moth and opened and closed the throttle to warn the swimmers There were about 25 bathers altogether They understood the warning and scrambled out of the wa’er. “We flew south-east along ’he beach, and saw three groups of swimmers There was one shark coasting near and among the people in the three groups. “I gave the same warning, and two of the groups left the water quickly. The third

group—there were lots of kiddies in this one—stayed in the water for a while.” A young shark, just under five feet long, and thought at first to be a grey nurse, was caught about 500 yards off Ruakaka, near Whangarei, on Saturday. But the assistant director of the Auckland Museum (Mr A W B Powell) said the grey nurse had never been recorded in New Zealand waters. It was often spoken of but in error.

An Invercargill message says more than a dozen sharks varying in size from eight feet to 15ft, have been sighted at Bluff and Riverton during the last week. Four sharks have been reported near Riverton. A 15ft shark, has been seen in Bluff harbour.