This article is from the source 'independent' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/man-dies-after-suspected-shark-attack-off-australias-gold-coast-9719860.html

The article has changed 10 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 3 Version 4
Man dies after suspected shark attack off Australia's east coast British expat dies after great white shark attack off Australia's east coast
(about 3 hours later)
A man has died off a beach on Australia’s eastern coast in a suspected shark attack. A British expat has died off a beach on Australia’s eastern coast in a suspected Great White shark attack.
Local police and paramedics were called to Byron Bay beach, in New South Wales, at around 10.45am after a man in his 40s was bitten on his right leg in the water. Local police and paramedics were called to Clarkes Beach, in New South Wales, at around 10.45am after Paul Wilcox, a former IT worker from Warwickshire, was bitten on his right leg at the southern end of the beach.
After floating in the shallows he was spotted by people on the shore and dragged onto land where he was treated by off-duty lifesavers until the arrival of an ambulance crew. After floating in the shallows Mr Wilcox, who is believed to be in his 50s, was spotted by onlookers on the shore and dragged onto land.
He was pronounced dead shortly afterwards. British tourist Mark Hickley, a Newcastle lawyer who was on holiday in the area, performed CPR on Mr Wilcox for 20 minutes until the arrival of a doctor.
Beaches in the area, popular with international backpackers, have been closed for 24 hours and people are being warned to stay out of the water. An ambulance spokesperson confirmed the doctor had also performed CPR.
Surfer Daniel Toole, 26, who was in the water at the time of the attack, noticed a crowd of people shouting at him to get out of the water. Mr Hickley, 52, said he was standing on the beach when he noticed the two meter shark, believed to be a great white, circling Mr Wilcox.
“Everyone had got to him and were trying to help him,” he said to ABC News. “They were giving him CPR and just trying to get him back.” Video, shown on ABC news, captured footage of a large shark moments after the attack took place Describing the events that followed as traumatising, Mr Hickley ran into the bloodied waters in an attempt to rescue Mr Wilcox, who was about 30m to 40m out from the sand.
New South Wales police are investigating the identity of the deceased and what he was doing in the water at the time of the attack. “I’ve seen a lot of sharks over the years, but never anything like this,” he told the Daily Mail Australia.
He said the shark “wasn’t going away, it was just circling.”
Initially Mr Hickley, who believes Mr Wilcox was doing the popular swim from The Pass to Byron Bay, thought the object was a turtle and some seaweed – before he saw the blood.
“The shark came back to him and had another go. I didn’t know it was a person – but when I realised I ran out and waded to the bank and grabbed him and did CPR but it was too late,” he said speaking to The Daily Telegraph in Australia.
Police said Mr Wilcox’s wife Victoria had also been on the beach, about 15 to 20m away, when he was attacked.
The couple had been married for 24 years and lived in Byron Bay together. They had friends visiting at the time of the tragedy and were due to meet them for coffee later.
Mr Wilcox was identified by two separate sources, reported the Daily Mail Australia.
Police praised Mr Hickley’s “extraordinary act of bravery”.
Police and paramedics stand on the beach Lifeguards spotted a shark off the beach and were attempting to use a helicopter and jetskis to push the animal further out to sea.
There were no plans to kill the shark, as great whites are an endangered species.
NSW Ambulance paramedic Andrew Chapman said Mr Wilcox probably died in the water from a massive loss of blood. He was bitten just above the knee.
“It was a fatal bite,” Mr Chapman said to News Corp Australia.
Mr Wilcox’s body was removed from the beach by 2.30.
A spokesperson for the Foreign Office said: "We are aware of reports of the death of a British National in Australia and are looking into them."
Beaches in the area, south of Australia’s famous Gold Coast, have been closed for 24 hours and people are being warned to stay out of the water.
There have been at least six fatal shark attacks off the Australian coast in recent years.There have been at least six fatal shark attacks off the Australian coast in recent years.
Only in April a woman died after being attacked swimming off Tathra beach, also in New South Wales.Only in April a woman died after being attacked swimming off Tathra beach, also in New South Wales.