The search continues today for a fisherman who fell from a boat off the coast of Newcastle, with fears a great white shark may have attacked him.
Paul Barning, skipper of the ‘Dark Horse’ fishing boat, was competing in a state-wide interclub fishing competition yesterday near Port Stephens when he went overboard at about 1.30pm on Sunday.
It is understood the man was attacked by a great white shark after entering the water, about 55km offshore.
The fishing competition was immediately called off, and the participating boats joined a search effort led by water police and marine rescue.
Mr Barning is believed to have become entangled in the tracing wire from his fishing tackle, dragging him into the water.
He has been participating in fishing competitions for most of his life, and in 2021, he made headlines after catching a massive tiger shark that weighed over 394kg.
The incident comes just days after a group of fishermen had a close encounter with two great white sharks in the same stretch of ocean.
Skipper John Smith and his crew were taking part in a game fishing tournament when a colossal great white, estimated at over 680kg, suddenly surfaced near their boat.
Search efforts continue for fisherman Paul Barning, who fell overboard off the coast of Newcastle, with fears a Great White shark may have taken him
The search follows another dramatic incident where a fishing crew had close encounters with two massive Great White sharks in the same area
After moving approximately 15km away from the shark, the fishermen spotted an even larger one about 30 minutes later, measuring around five metres long.
‘Earlier, it was chewing on the corner of the boat, it was chewing on its side gunnel,’ he said.
‘It’s so big that it managed to pull the boat down into the water a bit – big fish, small boat.’
He said that having so many close encounters with great white sharks in one day was ‘rare.’
Paul Barning has been a seasoned competitor in fishing competitions for most of his life, including a 394kg tiger shark catch in 2021 (pictured)
It is understood the man was attacked by a great white shark after entering the water, about 55km offshore
