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Stand up paddleboarders at the TassieSUP Winter Classic at Norfolk Bay were joined by an unexpected competitor on Sunday.
A great white shark appeared near the back group of paddlers who were then rescued by the safety boat.
Luke O’Garey from Penguin, winner of the technical and 10-kilometre stand up paddleboard races, didn’t realise the shark was in the bay until the race was over.
“It was a pretty scary thing,” he said.
“We didn’t really see it ourselves. It would have been a bit of a scare, being out in the ocean with a great white.”
The 10-kilometre race went from Eaglehawk Neck, around Dart Island and return.
The great white shark surfaced three times near Dart Island and was estimated to be 4 metres long.
The second time it surfaced, the safety boat took four competitors at the tail end of the field out of the water while competitors at the front of the field were able to finish the race safely.
Shayne Clark, executive officer for Surfing Tasmania, said the shark was “the last thing we expected to see.”
“We have a protocol in place that we have to disengage when a shark comes along,” he said.
Mr Clark said there was a briefing on sharks before the competition started and that the proper protocol was followed during the incident.
Mr O’Garey said it was the first time he had encountered a shark in a surfing competition.
“It’s quite a rare thing to come across a shark,” he said.
The experienced surfer said the competitors owed their safety to the safety boat.
“We can’t thank them enough.”
Aside from the brush with danger, the Mr O’Garey performed well in the cold and windy conditions and has qualified for the Australian championships in November on the Gold Coast.
Mr Clark said Mr O’Garey had been the stand out performer in the last two years in both the technical race and the 10-kilometre race.
“Luke is a passionate competitor who knows how to train,” Mr Clark said.
He took up stand up paddleboarding 18 months ago and remains involved with the Burnie Surf Lifesaving club.
“I’ve been involved in surf lifesaving and just ocean sports in general all my life. Getting older I just wanted to try something new and different,” he said.
“Every time you do a race you learn something new.”