To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Man Nicknamed 'Shark Rider' Attacked By Shark Off The Coast Of Australia

Man Nicknamed 'Shark Rider' Attacked By Shark Off The Coast Of Australia

Aaron Moir suffered serious injuries when he was chomped three times by an unlikely predator.

Stewart Perrie

Stewart Perrie

A man nicknamed 'shark rider' has been attacked by a shark off the coast of Australia.

Aaron Moir was rushed to hospital after the negative encounter with the ocean predator near Western Australia's Pilbara region.

The 32-year-old was airlifted from Exmouth to Royal Perth Hospital in a serious but stable condition, according to 9News.

He was chomped on the back, leg and stomach while conducting a fishing charter trip near Varanus Island.

It's not known what exactly happened during the shark encounter however he eventually made his way back onto the vessel.

9News

It was a gruelling 15-hour journey before he arrived back on the Australian mainland where people on the charter trip were forced to do first aid on him.

It's since been revealed that a lemon shark was the culprit in the encounter. 9News says experts were surprised by the species as they aren't usually known to attack humans.

Mr Moir earned the nickname 'shark rider' back in 2014 when he was captured on camera jumping on a hammerhead shark.

The bloke was slammed by shark experts and even his employer, who said he had no right to be so careless with marine life.

He said about the whole ordeal: "I was a bit of an idiot but I've worked with sharks for a long time and I understand them and how they go."

Thankfully, he has lived to tell the tale of his most recent negative encounter.

A group of experts in Australia are hoping to reorientate people's thinking when it comes to shark attacks.

Facebook

Those two words together can send shivers down people's spines and cause many not to head into the water, however the NSW Department of Primary Industries is hoping to change that.

They want people to start saying 'negative encounters' when discussing shark attacks. It's hoped this new vision for the apex predators will 'dispel inherent assumptions that sharks are ravenous, mindless man-eating monsters'.

They're concerned that the words 'bite' and 'attack' are filled with negative associations that not only 'misrepresent' sharks but also cause people to avoid the water.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, experts believe it's misdirected to suggest sharks seek out humans considering the former has been around for 450 million years.

They also explain how specific words can go a long way as 'shark attack' has helped introduce state policies related to culling and bait drums.

Christopher Pepin-Neff from the University of Sydney said the word 'attack' also doesn't really fit into the reality of a shark encounter because around a third of incidents don't result in any form of injury.

As such, experts warn we have to be careful with differentiating between attacks and bites, which is why 'negative encounter' fits more appropriately.

Featured Image Credit: Aaron Moir

Topics: Australia