The search continues today for a fisherman who fell off a boat off the coast of Newcastle, with fears that a big white shark attacked him.
Paul Barning, skipper of the fishing boat 'Dark Horse', competed yesterday in a state-wide interclub-fishing competition near Port Stephens when he went overboard at about 1.30 pm on Sunday.
It is understood that the man was attacked by a large white shark after entering the water, about 55 km offshore.
The fishing competition was immediately canceled and the participating boats participated in a search effort led by Water Police and Marine Redding.
Mr. Barning is supposed to have become entangled in the tracing wire of his fishing tackle and drags him into the water.
He participated for the majority of his life in fishing competitions and in 2021 he made the headlines after catching a huge tiger shark that weighed more than 394 kg.
The incident only comes a few days after a group of fishermen had a close meeting with two large white sharks in the same piece of ocean.
Skipper John Smith and his crew participated in a game fishing tournament when a colossal large white, estimated at more than 680 kg, suddenly appeared near their boat.
Search efforts take
The search follows another dramatic incident in which a fishing team had close encounters with two huge large white sharks in the same area
After moving about 15 km from the shark, about 30 minutes later the fishermen saw an even larger, about five meters long.
“Earlier it chewed on the corner of the boat, it chewed on his side rifle,” he said.
“It is so great that it has succeeded in pulling the boat in the water a bit – big fish, small boat.”
He said having so many close encounters with great white sharks in one day was 'rare'.
Paul Barning has been a seasoned competitor in fishing competitions for most of his life, including a 394 kg Tiger Shark Catch in 2021 (depicted)
It is understanding that the man was attacked by a large white shark after entering the water, about 55 km offshore
