Teen killed in river shark attack is first fatality for 100 years

A 16-year-old from Australia has been killed by a shark after swimming in a river with a pod of dolphins.

The as yet unnamed teenager had reportedly been jet skiing but then dived in with the dolphins when she spotted the playful pod.

In a move that sounds familiar to anyone that has watched JAWS, authorities had originally thought that the injuries - which would sadly prove fatal - had been caused by a boat propellor.

This is said to be the first fatal shark attack in Perth's Swan River in a century, being an attack in a river the prime suspect - although nothing has been confirmed - is a bull shark, which along with great white sharks and tiger sharks are the most often reported species of shark involved in attacks on humans.

The most famous ever river attacks, the Jersey Shore shark attacks of 1916, are often attributed to a bull shark. These were the first recorded shark fatalities in US history, with many saying the true events helped inspire some of the story elements in Peter Benchley's JAWS.

That 1974 book was then transformed into the first summer blockbuster by Steven Spielberg, which also mentioned the events in a scene featuring Chief Brody (Roy Scheider), Matt Hooper (Richard Dreyfuss) and Mayor Vaughn (Murray Hamilton).

This shark attack in Australia comes a year to the month after a 35-year-old British diving instructor, Simon Nellist, was attacked and killed by a great white shark off Sydney's Little Bay Beach, and was recorded as the first such attack in that area since 1963.

Although it is disturbing to read about fatal shark encounters, they are extremely rare. Here’s some ways you can increase your shark safety before you go into the water.

Words by Dean Newman

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