Surfer in Australia rides over a large shark, tries in vain to warn dad; video

Video screen shot shows the shark beneath Mitch Hargreaves' sufboard

By Pete Thomas

An Australian surfer thought he had been approaching a clump of kelp, but when it developed into the shape of a shark, and began shark-like movements, he knew he was surfing directly over a fairly large shark.

Mitch Hargreaves, 19, also thought he had better warn his father, who was surfing nearby. “I tried yelling ‘shark’ through my [GoPro] mouthpiece to warn my dad and the others behind me,” Hargreaves told the Daily Telegraph. “But no one heard."

The encounter occurred last weekend at Cellito Beach in New South Wales. Hargreaves was told by locals that bull sharks had been spotted recently in the area. (Bull sharks have been implicated in dozens of attacks on humans over the years.)

Hargreaves surfed the wave to the beach, then continued to try to warn the other surfers.

“I was waving from the shore, and when they eventually came in the didn’t believe me,” he said. “Until the saw the video.”

Hargreaves’ father surfed the same spot the next day.