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1985 South Australia Shark Attack Resurfaces Online, Renewing Debate on Culls

The decades-old case is trending again on social media, reviving debate over shark culls.

Overview

  • UK tabloids including the Daily Mirror, The Mirror US and the Daily Star republished the account on January 13 after fresh attention on YouTube and other platforms.
  • Shirley Ann Durdin, 33, was snorkelling for scallops off Peake Bay on March 3, 1985 when a large great white shark attacked, according to historical reports.
  • Her children watched from roughly 150 yards away and onlookers restrained her husband from entering the water, witnesses said.
  • Authorities reported finding only a single swim fin, and experts cautioned that culling sharks would not necessarily improve safety and could damage marine ecosystems.
  • The death was described as South Australia’s first fatal shark attack since 1974, referencing diver Terry Manuel’s killing near Cape Catastrophe.