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01/10/2006: "BATT REEF .... sharks; turtles; stingrays"

Batt Reef continues on TV news all this week with stingray stories. The reef where Steve Irwin (The Croc Hunter) had his diving accident.

It is also where Ben Cropp’s rubber dinghy was shredded by a shark two years ago – an event which I photographed at the time exclusively. Ben’s video camera jammed.

The three guys catching turtles (with permission) virtually came to our assistance that day and arrived to see the three-meter long shark still attached to the dinghy. Their presence frightening the shark away. (I don’t think our screaming was doing anything)!

The shark did not seem to mind air escaping from the pontoon hissing into it’s mouth and out through the gills. The species has not been positively identified.

After the shark had been chewing for about 3-5 minutes we three (Ben, Trina and I) aboard the dinghy became quite alarmed and called for assistance from these turtle hunters, the only other boat that day on the 18 mile long reef.

The sight they saw would have been stunning. One of the world’s most publicized former shark hunters and his rubber boat being chewed to shreds by an angry shark.

A rare event indeed.

Two years later an incredible tragedy was to unfold at the very same location.

Batt Reef has become a memorial to an incredibly popular wildlife celebrity.