As told by photographer, Josh Tabone.
“I was told that if you see a shark out in the lineup, nine times out 10, it has already sussed you out, which often keeps me calmer (sounds weird I know). That particular day, I saw the fin whilst looking through my eyepiece and quickly pressed the shutter, I looked up and it was gone… it stayed quiet for a minute and then a huge set came. The waves were so good and I was scrambling hard to get into position, I instantly forgot about what might have been below.
I'm the type, who is all about NOT culling the sharks. It's their domain we venture into and I've always said that if your time is up, that's it. There is not much you can do. They will always be there but it's just a matter of if we see them or not.
Like I mentioned in the beginning, I'm pretty accustomed to seeing big, dark creatures cruising around where I live in Port Macquarie, NSW. (Note: The above shot was taken on a recent trip to the south coast) There is a big river-mouth in town, and one of the best waves is right there – Breakwall. It's consistently fun, there is a wave there pretty much every day and it offers two different options, depending on the tide. The downside is the amount of bullsharks that cruise around the river looking for food, especially after we get a bit of rain. Further south, at Lighthouse Beach, there has been a few attacks over the past couple of years – nothing fatal but it kinda freaked everyone out for a while.
Who knows why the shark issue is so prominent nowadays… Maybe it's just because we are more connected than we have ever been, through technology and social media etc. and with the slightest glimpse of one word spreads like wildfire, compared to say 20 years ago? Or maybe these parts are just becoming heavily over-fished? I wonder if anyone has looked into the number of commercial fishing licenses sold (and where) and seen the correlation to shark attacks in those regions? Yes, it's food on our plates, but it’s also their food.”
