Australia: Hunt for killer shark called off

The hunt for a shark that killed a surfer off the west coast of Australia on Saturday has been called off.

It is believed Benjamin Linden was attacked by a five-metre long Great White, near Wedge Island, around 160 kilometres north of Perth.

One man, who was jet-skiing nearby, recalled the horror of what happened.

“I reached to grab the body and the shark came at me on the jet ski and tried to knock me off,” Matt Holmes said.

“I did another loop, when I came back to get the body, the shark took it and there was just blood everywhere and there’s nothing I could no.”

A search operation has so far failed to locate the victim’s remains.

On average, there is one fatal shark attack a year in the whole of Australia. However, there have now been five off the west coast since September.

The dramatic increase has prompted calls for a cull, but authorities have ruled out such a move after opposition from environment groups.

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