Hīkoi:peaceful protest throughout the nine-days comes to an end, Roads: concrete or asphalt?, Diver killed in Chatham Islands shark attack and Wayne Brown looking to scrap CCOs.
A marine biologist warns not to swim near seal colonies or active fishing areas after Jade Kahukore-Dixon’s death.
Dixon, 24, was killed by a great white shark near the Chatham Islands.
Auckland Museum’s Clinton Duffy said great whites are apex predators.
Shark expert Clinton Duffy says the great white is an apex predator that is big enough to take on a human.
“They tend to form groups around seal colonies but can be found almost anywhere around the Chatham Islands.”
Duffy said almost all fatal shark attacks in New Zealand have been by great whites.
“They are an apex predator. Once they reach 3m long, they start to feed on marine mammals,” he said.
“They are a very formidable predator and one of the few sharks around that are big enough to take on a human being.”
Duffy said the best piece of advice for avoiding shark attacks was to avoid diving around seal colonies and areas where fishing was actively occurring.
“Fishing activity can attract several species of sharks.”
Shark expert Clinton Duffy says the Chatham Islands are a hot spot for great white sharks during summer.
He also said dawn and dusk were the times when shark species were most active and hunting prey.
Police confirmed yesterday afternoon a man had been attacked.
“Emergency services were called around midday, following reports the man who had been diving off a boat had been critically injured.”
The man was brought to Waitangi Wharf after the attack and met by emergency services. He was rushed to Chatham Island Health Centre, where he died, police said.
