TWO shark attacks, a string of new sightings and surfers fears have seen the Margaret River Pro world tour event cancelled for the first time.
The decision, made due to “unacceptable risk”, was announced early this morning after pressure on officials to makie a quick call intensified when former world champion Gabriel Medina and world No.1 Italo Ferreira went public with their safety concerns on social media.
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“Two shark attacks in less than 24 hours here in Australia, just a few kilometres from where the event is being held,” he said on Instagram.
“Don’t you think that’s dangerous?
“Is the safety of athletes not a priority?
“I don’t feel comfortable training and competing in places like this.”
Surfer Ace Buchan on Wenesday said he backed the decision of the WSL to cancel the event.
“Sharks are something we will continually deal with every time we surf and we accept that risk,” said Buchan, the WSL men’s surfer representative.
“Given the extenuating circumstances of dead whale carcasses, multiple attacks and increased sightings, I’m fully supportive of the WSL’s stance to put surfers safety before all else.
“South West WA is one of my favourite places to visit and part of its allure is the raw beauty and feeling of being close to nature. I’m really feeling for the local community and look forward to to being back soon.”
The event is part of the world title race with the result crucial to many surfers chasing world crowns.
READ THE FULL WORLD SURF LEAGUE STATEMENT BELOW
While the World Surf League has cancelled the event there are suggestions the remainder of the competition – from the women’s quarter-finals on and from the men’s third round on – could still be surfed at a later stage.
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Australians Stephanie Gilmore and Julian Wilson, along with Bells Beach winner Italo Ferreira, went into the event with the world No.1 rankings.
It is understood there will be no change to this as the world tour heads overseas for the next leg for both women and men – the Oi Rio Pro in May.
The world tour made world headlines in 2015 when Fanning punched a shark while competing at the J-Bay Open. The event was called off after this attack.
Surfing competitions in Australia and overseas have repeatedly been put on hold in the past due to shark sightings.
Kelly Slater sent the internet into overdrive when he posted GoPro footage of him surfing at Margaret River in 2014 and what looked like him being photo bombed by a shark.
Slater later denied the close call, saying the silvery object was likely the reflection of another surfer.
The women’s competition was reactivated on Monday in the wake of the Gracetown shark attacks with additional jet skis put in the water and drones in the air
WORLD SURF LEAGUE’S FULL STATEMENT
Today (Wednesday), the WSL has made the difficult decision to cancel the remainder of the Margaret River Pro, as a result of exceptional circumstances surrounding this season’s event regarding sharks and the safety of our surfers. This decision has been reached after many hours of consultation with a variety of stakeholders and experts.
The WSL puts the highest premium on safety. This cannot be just talk, and it cannot be compromised. Surfing is a sport that carries various forms of risk, and is unique in that wild animals inhabit our performance environment. Sharks are an occasional reality of WSL competitions, and of surfing in general.
Everyone associated with our sport knows that. There have been incidents in the past — and it’s possible that there will be incidents in the future — which did not (and will not) result in the cancellation of an event. However, current circumstances are very unusual and troubling, and we have decided that the elevated risk during this season’s Margaret River Pro has crossed the threshold for what is acceptable.
On April 16th (local time), two separate shark attacks occurred at nearby Gracetown – approximately 6 kilometres away from the primary event site at Main Break. The presence of beached whales in the area has attracted sharks and contributed to the aggression of their behaviour, which, experts agree, has increased the possibility of further attacks. These findings have resulted in nearby locations being closed to surfing and swimming.
We are committed to being as prepared as possible for what nature throws at us. The WSL maintains strong and constantly-improving safety, monitoring and support infrastructure and protocols, and we would normally have a high degree of confidence in our ability to protect our athletes. However, the threshold has been crossed for the organisation and if we decided to continue the event under the current circumstances, and something terrible were to take place, we would never forgive ourselves.
We are painfully aware that this decision will have commercial ramifications for the local community, and will disappoint some of our partners, fans and athletes. We sincerely regret that.
Our competitive structure allows for points distribution in the event of a cancellation. However, we are not giving up yet on somehow completing both men’s and women’s competition this year, and will communicate our thoughts on that when we know more.
Margaret River is a special venue, with incredible partners. It has produced many memorable moments over the years, and at the moment we have no plans not to return in the future.
We appreciate that not everyone will agree with this decision, but hope that they will respect it. Athlete safety will always be our absolute priority and we thank the local community, our partners and our surfers for supporting the decision.
Thank you for your understanding,
Sophie Goldschmidt
WSL CEO