Emergency services are responding to reports of a serious shark attack off the coast of South Australia.
The reported attack happened near Ethel Beach close to Innes National Park about 1.30pm on Thursday on the state’s Yorke Peninsula.
Initial reports from the scene suggest one person has been seriously injured.
The 450m-long Ethel Beach is a popular surf and tourist spot with a sealed access road.
South Australia has been hit with multiple shark attacks across 2023, including two fatalities.
In May, teacher Simon Baccanello was believed to have been killed by a shark while surfing at Walkers Rock near Ellison on the west coast.
A witness says he saw a shark drag Mr Baccanello underwater.
On October 31, surfer Tod Gendle was killed by a shark while he was surfing near Streaky Bay, with a monster 4m great white thought to be the culprit.
Several people have also suffered serious injuries in attacks.
On October 2, swimmer Pam Cook was mauled by a shark during her regular morning dip at the small seaside town of Beachport.
On November 10, diver Bridgette O’Shannessy was mauled by a shark at Port Noarlunga.
The shark attacked her face and she went through two rounds of surgery at Flinders Medical Centre.
South Australian authorities brought forward aerial beach patrols two weeks earlier than planned in mid November following the spate of attacks.
The move followed public calls for greater protections for swimmers, with Surf Life Saving SA and the South Australian Greens pushing for more measures.
South Australia, unlike NSW and Queensland, does not use drum lines, nets or tagging to manage sharks.
SLSSA chief executive Damien Marangon said the government should consider a tracking and surveillance program and the Greens advocate subsidising shark deterrent devices, which swimmers wear in the water.
Other states have also suffered attacks.
In August, NSW surfer Toby Begg suffered life-changing injuries when he was mauled by a shark near Port Macquarie.
Shark biologists have assessed photographs of the bite marks on Mr Begg’s surfboard and determined the shark responsible for the attack was likely a great white measuring between 3.8m and 4.2m.
And in December, Italian backpacker Matteo Mariotti, 20, by a shark off the coast of Queensland which led to his leg being partially amputated.
He had been snorkelling at 1770 Beach, 130km south of Gladstone, on Friday December 8 when he was attacked.
More to come