Memories of shark attack still vivid - 50 years on

Dave Crooks was one of a handful of surfers out in the water near Dunedin’s St Clair on March 30, 1971.

The water was flat, glassy, reflecting the overcast sky. Not a great day for catching waves.

It was only when he saw the huge grey mass moving through the water, and heard the cries of a nearby surfer, that Mr Crooks realised something was badly wrong.

Fifty years on, the memories are still clear as day.

Mr Crooks, now 71, remembers seeing 16-year-old Barry Watkins sitting on his surfboard. He also remembers seeing what he thought looked like an upside-down grey Volkswagen in the water.

"I twigged what it was and yelled out ‘shark, shark’ to the blokes out by the point to warn them."

It disappeared for a moment. Then it attacked.

"He was yelling ‘help me, help me’."

The shark’s tail was slashing the water as it repeatedly sunk its teeth into Mr Watkins’ thigh and surfboard.

Dave Crooks (right) pulled an injured Barry Watkins on to his surf board and helped him to shore after the teen was attacked by a shark in 1971. Mr Watkins yesterday took grandchildren (from left) Ana McCabe (6), Maia McCabe (9) and Carter McCabe (11) to Otago Museum see the board he was on when he was attacked by a shark in Dunedin 50 years ago. Photos: Gerarg O'Brien/Peter McIntosh.

It was there he managed to lift the badly injured teenager on to his surfboard.

He started paddling towards the shore while Mr Watkins yelled obscenities.

"I was looking at his leg and blood was coming out, but I thought ‘at least he’s got his legs’," Mr Crooks said

After struggling to paddle, he decided to jump off his board, thinking it would be shallow enough to walk. But the water was still too deep.

It was only then he began to fear for his own safety.

"I thought ‘uh oh’, because the shark could be coming in, following the blood trail, and he’ll see my silly white feet kicking.

"I wasn’t scared, I was just thinking ‘this isn’t a good place to be’."

He managed to get him to shore, where a man called Al Moore grabbed him off the surfboard and took him up to the top of the Esplanade - ironically, beside the shark bell.

Police arrived shortly after, as did an ambulance, which had actually been called before the attack when a woman saw the shark circling.

Mr Crooks had been surfing in the area for about four years before the attack, and continued to surf out there afterwards.

He had never seen any other sharks.

But for years after the incident, surfers referred to still, grey days at St Clair as "sharky" days.

Stuart McDougall, then 17, was looking for his wetsuit in the boot of his brother’s car when he heard a voice calling out "help me, somebody help me".

"It was bloodcurdling," he said.

He went to a nearby railing and saw Mr Watkins right out in front of him.

He also saw a surfer, who turned out to be Mr Crooks, helping to bring him to shore.

Barry Watkins (then 16) is treated after he was attacked by a shark in 1971. PHOTO: ODT FILES

Mr Moore then ran up the beach with him in his arms, "like a baby".

"I could see blood, I could see blood everywhere. I was thinking to myself ‘how many legs has he lost’."

Mr Watkins, fortunately, did not lose any limbs. But he did need 90 stitches from knee to thigh in a leg that still aches occasionally when it is cold.

He could still vividly recall the attack, from the shark resting its head on one end of his board to the thrashing of its tail.

"I was in a heck of a lot of panic; there was blood. It wasn’t a good time.

"Like most people who are in a near-death thing, it’s forever etched."

So how does the now 66-year-old feel about it, 50 years on?

While he used to have nightmares, he is fairly good-humoured about it.

In fact, yesterday he donned a T-shirt with an image of a shark on it and the quote "friends not food".

"I’ve actually learned to love the creature and take a great interest in what becomes of them and where they are," he said.

The shark was later determined to be a 4.5m great white, identified by the deep bite marks left on his board.

That bitten-in-half surfboard has gone on display at Otago Museum to mark the anniversary.

He took his family, including three grandchildren, to see the board for the first time yesterday.

His was the last shark attack at St Clair. It was also the last of a series of five attacks in the Dunedin area between 1964 and 1971.

Two people survived and three -Les Jordan, Bill Black and Graeme Hitt - were killed during that time.

daisy.hudson@odt.co.nz