WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT Australian surfer Brad Smith, 29, died in a horrific great white shark attack near Gracetown, Western Australia, as friends watched helplessly
The surfer died a brutal death(Image: SWNS)
While great white sharks are responsible for relatively few attacks, their immense size and velocity mean that when they do attack, the consequences are frequently devastating.
For 29-year-old Australian Brad Smith, who was set upon by a great white while surfing, this harsh reality became heartbreakingly evident when the predator killed him before his friends’ eyes in a brutal and haunting assault.
Smith had been surfing off Gracetown, about 150 miles south of Perth, when an enormous shark described by onlookers as “as wide as a car” struck him violently, snapping his surfboard clean in half.
The victim, who had travelled to the beach with companions, was reportedly dragged beneath the surface and began fighting desperately to fend off the creature.
Smith’s ordeal intensified when bystanders spotted a second shark closing in on him, leaving the unfortunate surfer hopelessly outnumbered and overpowered.
Nevertheless, Smith was described as courageously battling the animals, launching frantic strikes in their direction. Heartbreakingly, his efforts proved futile, with the great white dragging him underwater within minutes.
Shortly afterwards, amid a crimson stain spreading across the water, Smith’s lifeless form rose to the surface.
His companions made every effort to save him, even endangering themselves by paddling out to retrieve him and haul him back to the beach, but upon reaching him, it was already too late.
An anaesthetist who was surfing nearby confirmed Smith’s wounds were fatal and that he would have died “quick and painless”.
Authorities successfully retrieved Smith’s surfboard, which had been severed completely by the creature’s lethal teeth.
An extensive operation involving marine vessels and aircraft was deployed, however the shark responsible was never found.
Based on eyewitness testimonies and the rapid, violent nature of the incident, officials concluded the predator was most likely a great white.
Rod Draper, a close friend of Smith’s, described him as an extremely well-loved member of the local surfing community. “He absolutely loved life,” he said.
“There isn’t a person who could say a bad word about him.”
Whilst some surfers demanded sharks be culled, Smith’s relatives reportedly urged authorities not to destroy the animal, maintaining they held no ill will towards it for the tragedy.
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