www.facebook.com/share/r/17dbDXGgbm/?mibextid=wwXIfr

How's good is that Smik sandwich construction even the great whites want a piece of it. Good to see you survived to tell the tail Andy.

Still smiling! Legend!

Damn! Hillys local spot, second non fatal shark attack at that exact spot. First one was only a couple years ago. A surfer got bitten on the leg and had to do the 700m paddle back in pouring out blood wondering if the shark would have another go!

Does anyone know if Andy was up on foil or down when the shark got him? Seen him plenty of times out doing laps after the wind dropped off, getting wave after wave making sure not to come off foil.

Is that another repair job for Mark?

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Youngbreezy said..
Damn! Hillys local spot, second non fatal shark attack at that exact spot. First one was only a couple years ago. A surfer got bitten on the leg and had to do the 700m paddle back in pouring out blood wondering if the shark would have another go!

Does anyone know if Andy was up on foil or down when the shark got him? Seen him plenty of times out doing laps after the wind dropped off, getting wave after wave making sure not to come off foil.

Hilly actually posted great (scary) surfcam footage on our code foil group.

He was slogging at the time so not on foil, the scary bit was how long he seemed to be under water with the beast. A close call!

I had just passed Andy out the back and headed in. Wind was dying and he was off foil. As he got close to the reef slogging in was when he was attacked. There is a resident bronzy I see regularly at that spot close to the reef but not sure if it was that shark. Unusual for a bronzy to do that. Like Mick Fanning it got tangled in the leash and thrashed about. Lots of video on FB you can see how lucky he was.
Props to Matto who went to his aid and paddled in with him.

I sent this to my mate in Margs and he told me a surfer had drowned at the Bomby, the next break over, about a week ago. Apparently he got stuck in a cave, very sad!
www.surfer.com/news/surfer-drowns-margaret-river-western-australiaThat makes at least 4 surfers and one windsurfer that have drowned/ died riding the waves at Prevelly

Go safe down in the South West everyone! There's some serious power in the waves and a lot of shark attacks have happened along this coast.

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hilly said..
Props to Matto who went to his aid and paddled in with him.

I don't know Matto but definitely props to him! All of us that spend a lot of time in the ocean would like to think we'd all step up in that situation but in the heat of the moment it would be easy to go the other way.

This event has made me have more of a think about quick releases on both my leashes

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RAF142134 said..
Is that another repair job for Mark?

Fixed far worse chops from foil mast collisions. But I figure he wants to keep that one. good work smiling there mate. Man U must be rattled

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hilly said..
I had just passed Andy out the back and headed in. Wind was dying and he was off foil. As he got close to the reef slogging in was when he was attacked. There is a resident bronzy I see regularly at that spot close to the reef but not sure if it was that shark. Unusual for a bronzy to do that. Like Mick Fanning it got tangled in the leash and thrashed about. Lots of video on FB you can see how lucky he was.
Props to Matto who went to his aid and paddled in with him.

Bite pattern looks like a White, would fit with ambush hunting behavior. You blokes should get some seal drones to run interference for ya!

That's some crazy bite force.

Been hoping not to bother any of the Tigers around here with my foil.

Typical Andy to be laughing that one off.. Glad he's ok.. That board needs to go on the wall.

For a minute I thought the other guy was Jack Nicholson!

Things took a sinister turn today out in the surf today at Margaret river ending with a violent altercation & a shaken wing foiler left with a damaged board.
Tensions had been simmering at the well known spot for a long time between the locals & foilers. The locals had had the place to themselves for decades & enjoyed as one described "just cruising & hanging out, maybe having a snack every now ". However things changed when a new group of "wing foilers" emerged onto the scene a few years ago.
With the ability to travel into previously inaccessible areas, the "wing foilers" had begun encroaching upon the waves usually occupied by a group of possessive & often unpredictable locals.
Quite often just the sight of one of the locals would be enough to frighten off a wayward foiler. However when a foiler who is now being referred to as "Big balls Andy" decided he wasn't going to be intimidated, a local took it upon themselves to try persuade the insurgent foiler away.
While the local couldn't be contacted for comment, apparently according to witnesses the foiler, Big balls Andy, ignored the repeated attempts of intimidation & stare downs from the local & that consequently was when the red mist descended & the local decided to take action by biting the foilers board narrowly missing his toes.
The resulting damage to the board cut the foilers session short & he left the water which according to other witnesses wasn't a big thing as the wind had "dropped off to a dribble of piss".
While Big Balls Andy was slightly shaken at the time he is currently enjoying his moment of fame & hurriedly signing a contract with Smik boards for a unspecified but suspected large sum of sponsorship which will enable him to take the now display board on a world tour of other foiling destinations.
The local is still out there & from all accounts is pretty pissed with Big ball Andys' notoriety.

Dam .Andy glad you're okay , if you had been heading out it might have much worse with that bite position.

I was always spooked out there sailing with you guys especially off foil but told myself they will see my Armie foil black/white banding and not bite. Maybe wishful thinking.!!

Cheers KB7.

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Microsurfer said..
Things took a sinister turn today out in the surf today at Margaret river ending with a violent altercation & a shaken wing foiler left with a damaged board.
Tensions had been simmering at the well known spot for a long time between the locals & foilers. The locals had had the place to themselves for decades & enjoyed as one described "just cruising & hanging out, maybe having a snack every now ". However things changed when a new group of "wing foilers" emerged onto the scene a few years ago.
With the ability to travel into previously inaccessible areas, the "wing foilers" had begun encroaching upon the waves usually occupied by a group of possessive & often unpredictable locals.
Quite often just the sight of one of the locals would be enough to frighten off a wayward foiler. However when a foiler who is now being referred to as "Big balls Andy" decided he wasn't going to be intimidated, a local took it upon themselves to try persuade the insurgent foiler away.
While the local couldn't be contacted for comment, apparently according to witnesses the foiler, Big balls Andy, ignored the repeated attempts of intimidation & stare downs from the local & that consequently was when the red mist descended & the local decided to take action by biting the foilers board narrowly missing his toes.
The resulting damage to the board cut the foilers session short & he left the water which according to other witnesses wasn't a big thing as the wind had "dropped off to a dribble of piss".
While Big Balls Andy was slightly shaken at the time he is currently enjoying his moment of fame & hurriedly signing a contract with Smik boards for a unspecified but suspected large sum of sponsorship which will enable him to take the now display board on a world tour of other foiling destinations.
The local is still out there & from all accounts is pretty pissed with Big ball Andys' notoriety.

Dam what have you been drinking/smoking/popping??

Front page of The Telegraph in the UK today :

Windsurfer survives after punching great white shark in the head

Moment 61-year-old Australian 'wrestled with the animal underwater' caught on camera

Apparently Andy is 61 now.

Curious about how long Andy was off foil before the attack, if anyone knows.

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Microsurfer said..
Things took a sinister turn today out in the surf today at Margaret river ending with a violent altercation & a shaken wing foiler left with a damaged board.
Tensions had been simmering at the well known spot for a long time between the locals & foilers. The locals had had the place to themselves for decades & enjoyed as one described "just cruising & hanging out, maybe having a snack every now ". However things changed when a new group of "wing foilers" emerged onto the scene a few years ago.
With the ability to travel into previously inaccessible areas, the "wing foilers" had begun encroaching upon the waves usually occupied by a group of possessive & often unpredictable locals.
Quite often just the sight of one of the locals would be enough to frighten off a wayward foiler. However when a foiler who is now being referred to as "Big balls Andy" decided he wasn't going to be intimidated, a local took it upon themselves to try persuade the insurgent foiler away.
While the local couldn't be contacted for comment, apparently according to witnesses the foiler, Big balls Andy, ignored the repeated attempts of intimidation & stare downs from the local & that consequently was when the red mist descended & the local decided to take action by biting the foilers board narrowly missing his toes.
The resulting damage to the board cut the foilers session short & he left the water which according to other witnesses wasn't a big thing as the wind had "dropped off to a dribble of piss".
While Big Balls Andy was slightly shaken at the time he is currently enjoying his moment of fame & hurriedly signing a contract with Smik boards for a unspecified but suspected large sum of sponsorship which will enable him to take the now display board on a world tour of other foiling destinations.
The local is still out there & from all accounts is pretty pissed with Big ball Andys' notoriety.

Wtf ? Get some help dude.

I know, this is Andy!
I was off foil for aprox 90 seconds and just dogging long.

Hi Andy! Glad you're in one piece. That's not a long time, even if it detected you straight away didn't take long to suss you out and have a full blown go. I'll be aiming for under 45 sec now

Andy should be nominated AUSTRALIAN OF THE YEAR.

Let this be a lesson to all that when winging, you must stay ON FOIL at ALL COSTS.

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moosh said..
Front page of The Telegraph in the UK today :

Windsurfer survives after punching great white shark in the head

Moment 61-year-old Australian 'wrestled with the animal underwater' caught on camera

Apparently Andy is 61 now.

Imagine being attacked by a shark then getting smeared as a windsurfer by the MSM.

www.bbc.com/news/videos/ckg45vpyg3ro