A man believed to have been killed by a shark off the coast of Israel was an “enthusiast” of the deadly predators, who had earlier bragged he was going to “splash about” with them.
Witnesses described hearing the swimmer’s desperate screams for help as he shouted “they’re biting me” before he started thrashing around and was pulled under the water. Authorities in Hadera have since conducted a thorough search, according to emergency services and police, with the beach being closed until further notice. Moments before the attack the shark was filmed swimming between children’s legs in the sea in the shallow waters as stunned beachgoers watched on, unable to help.
Now it has been reported the victim was a 40-year-old married father who was a shark enthusiast, reports JFEED. He was reportedly fishing near the Hedera River after work when he was pulled under the water, but had earlier said he was going to “splash about” with the sharks.
Authorities are currently unwilling to name him, although he is said to be from Petah Tikva, a city east of Tel Aviv. The shark was first seen swimming by beachgoers in the shallow water with some rushing back to shore. Footage taken around the time of the attack showed the swimmer being mauled near the Orot Rabin power station.
The man was later seen thrashing about for a moment before the sea turned a bright red colour, indicating he might have been bitten. The shark also attacked a rescue diver who had been searching for the man.
Hadera municipality’s Coastal Department added it had been carrying out searches in a bid to find the swimmer. His belongings were later found on the beach.
Additional footage shared to social media also showed helicopters scanning the water for the missing man. The attack happened at a part of the beach where swimming was reportedly prohibited, according to the Israel Nature and Parks Authority.
The organisation said: “The Authority reiterates its warning against interacting with sharks and once again calls on the public to avoid approaching them, as they are protected animals.”
Shark attacks are relatively rare in Israel with dusky and sandbar sharks being known to be in the region from around November to May and are not known to normally attack humans.
The Nature and Parks Authority repeated its warning on Monday “against interacting with sharks”. It added: “We again call on the public not to approach the sharks, which are protected animals.”
At Reach and across our entities we and our partners use information collected through cookies and other identifiers from your device to improve experience on our site, analyse how it is used and to show personalised advertising. You can opt out of the sale or sharing of your data, at any time clicking the “Do Not Sell or Share my Data” button at the bottom of the webpage. Please note that your preferences are browser specific. Use of our website and any of our services represents your acceptance of the use of cookies and consent to the practices described in our Privacy Notice and Cookie Notice.
