Overview
- The 16-year-old, bitten Friday at Middleton Beach on South Australia's Fleurieu Peninsula, paddled about 70 to 100 metres to shore after spotting a fin in front of him.
- He was treated at Victor Harbour Hospital, where staff cleaned and bandaged his ankle and decided against stitches to lower the chance of marine-bacteria infection.
- South Australia Police confirmed they received a report of a shark bite at the beach.
- The surfer thought it was a bronze whaler based on the fin’s colour, but Shark Watch SA said the mark looked consistent with a juvenile shark and the species could not be confirmed.
- Shark Watch SA described bites at Middleton as rare and advised people to avoid the water at dawn and dusk.