Weather conditions have affected search efforts for an abalone diver that was taken by sharks while diving south of Perforated Island near Coffin Bay, late yesterday.Police were able to send out several boats, but the search plane remained grounded because of heavy rain, low cloud and strong winds.
"Today a search has been conducted around the Coffin Bay and Avoid Bay area, we have land and also sea searches," Senior Sergeant Mick Walsh said."Unfortunately, owing to the weather conditions, it is very difficult owing to visibility and the continual rain."
"However there are two vessels out there searching at present and also there is a land search being conducted by SES and police services,"
"If the conditions do improve there will be air support in the afternoon and we are still waiting on instructions as to how that will go," he said.Police say the diver was returning to the surface on Thursday afternoon when two sharks, believed to be great whites, attacked him.
"The diver came to the surface and the skipper observed two sharks attack the male diver and pulled him under the water," Senior Sergeant Walsh said.
"There was nothing else sighted, the skipper stayed in the area for a considerable amount of time, he then returned to shore and raised alert with the authorities," he said."The Southern Ranger, which is a fisheries vessel was in the area and was able to quickly deploy and search a limited area until daylight ceased."
Mr Clarkson was from Esperance in Western Australia, but spent part of the Abalone fishing season living in Port Lincoln.
The skipper on board the boat was 53 year-old Howard Rodd who has worked with Mr Clarkson for several years diving and shelling in the region.Police have said he was treated for shock and is now assisting them with their inquiries.
He is believed to have told ambulance officers "I saw the beast come up and take him. There’s no way he could have survived," according to News Limited reports.
It is not the first time Mr Rodd has experienced tragedy at sea.In 2000 a boat he was on capsized and the only other person on board decided to remain with the stricken vessel before perishing in what was believed to be a shark attack.
At the time of the incident Mr Rodd vowed ’never to go to sea again’.In August last year, Mr Clarkson wrote about a close encounter with a great white shark in a testimonial promoting the use of a shark deterrent system.
This is quite a sad story. The original article is on http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/latest/8866530/experienced-diver-taken-by-sharks/
I also posted this on our dive story site: http://www.myscubastory.com
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