Expert urges caution for Waihī beach-goers after fatal shark attack
Expert urges caution for Waihī beach-goers after fatal shark attack
A shark expert is urging caution for beachgoers after a suspected shark attack at Waihī beach earlier this week.
Nineteen-year-old Kaelah Marlow died on Thursday after reports she had been injured in the water. If confirmed as a shark attack, Marlow would be the first shark fatality nationally since 2013.
A post-mortem was carried out yesterday, but it is yet to be confirmed whether a shark was behind the attack.
Clinton Duffy, a marine scientist at the Department of Conservation, said many people had the mistaken perception that sharks were uncommon in New Zealand.