DUBAI // Marine experts have dismissed claims of a shark attack off Dubai a week ago, but the surfer involved insists that "something" bit him.
Michael Geraghty, 54, from Australia was taking advantage of the weekend's swell when he was pulled off his board. He says he has the scars to prove it.
Reports this week claimed that the bite was the result of a shark attack. However, marine experts said that although certain shark species inhabited the UAE's waters, none was known to attack humans.
Shaun Lenehan, an experienced diver and marine biologist, said the only sharks he had seen were blacktip reef sharks.
"They are a very timid shark and it's very hard to get close to them," he said. "There are tiger and bull [sharks] but they are very rare.
"I have done hundreds of dives in Dubai's waters and I worked with people who have accumulatively done thousands of dives and it is very rare. Nobody has ever reported any tigers or bulls."
Photographs obtained from Mr Geraghty of his injuries did not shed any further light on the type of bite.
"It's difficult to tell from the photos whether it was definitely a shark," Mr Lenehan said. "Usually, you can distinguish the repetitive pattern of the dentition breaking the skin along the line of the laceration but it all depends on the angle of the bite. The stitches and dressing obscure the line of the cut slightly so its hard to see."
He said Mr Geraghty would have been the best judge. "If he didn't get a look at it and can't say for sure that it was a shark, then it may have been a barracuda or another largish predator.
"I have seen a number of barracuda feeding down at Umm Suqeim beach over the years. Regardless of what animal it was, it certainly looks painful."
Ernst van der Poll, who has completed more than 8,500 dives in UAE waters, said a shark attack was highly unlikely.
"I only saw them [sharks] twice," he said. "They were lemon sharks. There is nothing in these waters, and I surf there myself. Unless they took photos, it could have been a barracuda."
Mr van der Poll said a lemon shark would attack a human only if it was aggravated or cornered.
"I have seen the lemon sharks about 15 miles offshore. Bull sharks primarily stick to river mouths. I dive here five or six days a week and I have never seen them."
Mohammed Hassan, the head of Dubai Municipality's marine department, also said shark attacks were unheard of off the UAE.
"In Australia it is common, but here it is not normal," he said. "They think the board is a seal and they take a bite out of it but we don't have any man-eating sharks in our water. There are barracuda in Jumeirah but it is hard to believe."
Despite the experts' scepticism, Mr Geraghty has a four-inch gash on his foot to prove that something bit him. Last Saturday, as Mr Geraghty was taking advantage of a small swell, he was pulled from his board in deep water.
"I looked around and there was blood coming from this wound on my foot. We couldn't identify it," he said. "I thought there was some debris or some construction material in the water besides the fact I got pulled off the board."
Once a doctor cleaned the wound, a V-shaped bite was quite visible, Mr Geraghty said.
"There were two major gashes going from my big toe all the way down to the ball of my foot. They go all the way down to my bone. But the jury is still out."
Yesterday, Dubai's surfing fraternity took advantage of a strong low pressure blowing in, which created one of the seasons' best swells.
Scott Chambers, of Surf Dubai, said he had not been aware of any previous shark incidents.
"There are lots of surfers out there who are obviously not worried about sharks," he said.
@Email:eharnan@thenational.ae
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Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
RACECARD
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Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
How to invest in gold
Investors can tap into the gold price by purchasing physical jewellery, coins and even gold bars, but these need to be stored safely and possibly insured.
A cheaper and more straightforward way to benefit from gold price growth is to buy an exchange-traded fund (ETF).
Most advisers suggest sticking to “physical” ETFs. These hold actual gold bullion, bars and coins in a vault on investors’ behalf. Others do not hold gold but use derivatives to track the price instead, adding an extra layer of risk. The two biggest physical gold ETFs are SPDR Gold Trust and iShares Gold Trust.
Another way to invest in gold’s success is to buy gold mining stocks, but Mr Gravier says this brings added risks and can be more volatile. “They have a serious downside potential should the price consolidate.”
Mr Kyprianou says gold and gold miners are two different asset classes. “One is a commodity and the other is a company stock, which means they behave differently.”
Mining companies are a business, susceptible to other market forces, such as worker availability, health and safety, strikes, debt levels, and so on. “These have nothing to do with gold at all. It means that some companies will survive, others won’t.”
By contrast, when gold is mined, it just sits in a vault. “It doesn’t even rust, which means it retains its value,” Mr Kyprianou says.
You may already have exposure to gold miners in your portfolio, say, through an international ETF or actively managed mutual fund.
You could spread this risk with an actively managed fund that invests in a spread of gold miners, with the best known being BlackRock Gold & General. It is up an incredible 55 per cent over the past year, and 240 per cent over five years. As always, past performance is no guide to the future.
UAE v Gibraltar
What: International friendly
When: 7pm kick off
Where: Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
Admission: Free
Online: The match will be broadcast live on Dubai Exiles’ Facebook page
UAE squad: Lucas Waddington (Dubai Exiles), Gio Fourie (Exiles), Craig Nutt (Abu Dhabi Harlequins), Phil Brady (Harlequins), Daniel Perry (Dubai Hurricanes), Esekaia Dranibota (Harlequins), Matt Mills (Exiles), Jaen Botes (Exiles), Kristian Stinson (Exiles), Murray Reason (Abu Dhabi Saracens), Dave Knight (Hurricanes), Ross Samson (Jebel Ali Dragons), DuRandt Gerber (Exiles), Saki Naisau (Dragons), Andrew Powell (Hurricanes), Emosi Vacanau (Harlequins), Niko Volavola (Dragons), Matt Richards (Dragons), Luke Stevenson (Harlequins), Josh Ives (Dubai Sports City Eagles), Sean Stevens (Saracens), Thinus Steyn (Exiles)
SPEC%20SHEET%3A%20NOTHING%20PHONE%20(2)
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Business Insights
- Canada and Mexico are significant energy suppliers to the US, providing the majority of oil and natural gas imports
- The introduction of tariffs could hinder the US's clean energy initiatives by raising input costs for materials like nickel
- US domestic suppliers might benefit from higher prices, but overall oil consumption is expected to decrease due to elevated costs
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
World record transfers
1. Kylian Mbappe - to Real Madrid in 2017/18 - €180 million (Dh770.4m - if a deal goes through)
2. Paul Pogba - to Manchester United in 2016/17 - €105m
3. Gareth Bale - to Real Madrid in 2013/14 - €101m
4. Cristiano Ronaldo - to Real Madrid in 2009/10 - €94m
5. Gonzalo Higuain - to Juventus in 2016/17 - €90m
6. Neymar - to Barcelona in 2013/14 - €88.2m
7. Romelu Lukaku - to Manchester United in 2017/18 - €84.7m
8. Luis Suarez - to Barcelona in 2014/15 - €81.72m
9. Angel di Maria - to Manchester United in 2014/15 - €75m
10. James Rodriguez - to Real Madrid in 2014/15 - €75m
Banned items
Dubai Police has also issued a list of banned items at the ground on Sunday. These include:
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Political flags or banners
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Bikes, skateboards or scooters
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The biog
Age: 46
Number of Children: Four
Hobby: Reading history books
Loves: Sports
Nick's journey in numbers
Countries so far: 85
Flights: 149
Steps: 3.78 million
Calories: 220,000
Floors climbed: 2,000
Donations: GPB37,300
Prostate checks: 5
Blisters: 15
Bumps on the head: 2
Dog bites: 1
MATCH INFO
Arsenal 1 (Aubameyang 12’) Liverpool 1 (Minamino 73’)
Arsenal win 5-4 on penalties
Man of the Match: Ainsley Maitland-Niles (Arsenal)
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
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Roger Federer's 2018 record
Australian Open Champion
Rotterdam Champion
Indian Wells Runner-up
Miami Second round
Stuttgart Champion
Halle Runner-up
Wimbledon Quarter-finals
Cincinnati Runner-up
US Open Fourth round
Shanghai Semi-finals
Basel Champion
Paris Masters Semi-finals
MATCH INFO
Chelsea 4 (Mount 18',Werner 44', Hudson-Odoi 49', Havertz 85')
Morecambe 0
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
LAST-16 EUROPA LEAGUE FIXTURES
Wednesday (Kick-offs UAE)
FC Copenhagen (0) v Istanbul Basaksehir (1) 8.55pm
Shakhtar Donetsk (2) v Wolfsburg (1) 8.55pm
Inter Milan v Getafe (one leg only) 11pm
Manchester United (5) v LASK (0) 11pm
Thursday
Bayer Leverkusen (3) v Rangers (1) 8.55pm
Sevilla v Roma (one leg only) 8.55pm
FC Basel (3) v Eintracht Frankfurt (0) 11pm
Wolves (1) Olympiakos (1) 11pm
Poland Statement
All people fleeing from Ukraine before the armed conflict are allowed to enter Poland. Our country shelters every person whose life is in danger - regardless of their nationality.
The dominant group of refugees in Poland are citizens of Ukraine, but among the people checked by the Border Guard are also citizens of the USA, Nigeria, India, Georgia and other countries.
All persons admitted to Poland are verified by the Border Guard. In relation to those who are in doubt, e.g. do not have documents, Border Guard officers apply appropriate checking procedures.
No person who has received refuge in Poland will be sent back to a country torn by war.