PORPOISE OR SHARK?

Nelson Evening Mail, Volume LXIV, 7 January 1931, Page 3

PORPOISE OR SHARK?

SUMNER BATHERS SCARED

EXPERIENCE IN THE SEA What is described as a twelve-foot shark is said to have given three men a- chase off Sumner beach the other day, but they managed to got ashore safely (reports the “Christchurch Times ’). “1 think publicity should be given to the fact,” said Mr E. Jones, of 65, Rugby Street, on Saturday morning when telling a reporter about'the incident. “There is no doubt about it being a shark. 1 have been swimming tor twenty years and well know the difference between a shark and a porpoise. “Three of us, one a member of the Surf Club, were out beyond the breakers, just in a line with the boatsheds at Scarborough, and two of us further out than the third saw the shark coming in on the top of a wave. We beat it for the shore. The man who was further in than us thought we were having a race when he saw us all out. but then he looked seaward and when he saw the shark he also made a bee line for the beach.

"The shark came up alongside us on the left-hand side and turned over on his back as sharks are said to do before taking tire bait. Then he straightened up and again swam across in front ol us, and followed us upon the righthand side.

“It looked to me as if he was only waiting for one of us to drop back. We made as much commotion in the water as we could, and this seemed to stave him off. When we were in water up to our knees we saw the shark about five yards further out and lie looked to me to be about eighteen inches in the bean). “People got out of the water when we told what had happened, and the shark was also plainly seen by people from the beach, lie was hanging around until about four o’clock, and I was surprised to see some of the stronger of the swimmers go out beyond the line ot breakers, even after what had happened.”

STATEMENT RIDICULED PORPOISES ABUNDANT The statement that a shark had been seen by a bather on. Friday was ridiculed by the officials of the Sumner Life Saving Club and a member of the Volunteer Lifeboat crew. Speaking to a representative of the “Times” the captain and the instructor of the Sumner Life Saving Club, Messrs J. Sutherland and N. CL Winter, both stated that the club had carefully inquired into the matter. One of their members, Mr J. Framley, was out with the incident, and he is certain it was a porpoise. There is no record of any shark being seen, and certainly none of a bather being injured by an attack. Mr Framley’s words were: “It is quite ridiculous. The fish came very close and was at one time alongside me. It was easily recognised as a porpoise.”

PORPOISES AMONG BATHERS The instructor stated that porpoises have been very numerous this year, frequently swimming in almost a friendly way amongst the bathers. Recently when the catamaran with hs crew went over the bar if passed through a school of them, so that a paddle might almost strike one of them. "The club has cleared the whole matter up,” he said, “it was nothing like a shark.” The member of the lifeboat crew stated that porpo'ses were met-almost every time the boat went out. At one time about twenty of them followed Rescue II right to the entrance of the boat harbour, and then made off to sea. On one occasion they met an odd one or two on the estuary side of the bar. Quite frequently as many as six were seen at a time. The crew had never met anything in the nature of a. man eating shark and could not think there was any danger from sharks.