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• A diver is recovering in Southland Hospital after being bitten in Fiordland by a shark he says was a great white. 
• The shark bit the man’s leg, but he is “recovering really well” after the incident in Dusky Sound, Pure Salt Charters’ co-owner Maria Kuster said. 
• A helicopter flew the man to Southland Hospital in Invercargill after he was bitten on Thursday. 

A diver is recovering in Southland Hospital after being bitten by a shark in Tamatea Dusky Sound on Thursday – with the man and his dive buddy describing it as a great white. 

The man, who suffered moderate injuries after being bitten in the calf, didn’t want to be identified or talk to media. 

But the co-owner of the charter boat he was diving from told the Herald she’d spoken to him in hospital this morning and he was “recovering really well”. 

“He’s hoping to return home soon,” Pure Salt Charters co-owner Maria Kuster said. 

Both the man and his dive buddy eyeballed the shark immediately after the incident, and described it to charter staff as a great white. 

“Both him and his buddy saw it, [they said it was a great white] no question”. 

Great White sharks are native to the South Island, but a few can also be seen around the Coromandel. Photo / Clinton Duffy, DoC 

The pair were diving in Bowen Channel in the remote sound in the southwest section of Fiordland National Park about 4.30pm on Thursday when the man was bitten. 

“It was one bite and let go.” 

The man didn’t need help to get back to the surface, and when asked why, Kuster said: “Adrenaline. He found himself on the tender before he knew it.” 

She wasn’t aboard but had been told the man was conscious and alert, but in shock. 

He was given first aid and a helicopter had landed on the charter boat’s on-board heli pad within an hour to fly the man to hospital, Kuster said. 

“The whole situation was as smooth as it could be. That’s why you have those systems in place.” 

A Hato Hone St John Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed a man was flown by helicopter from Dusky Sound to Southland Hospital in a moderate condition just after 5.30pm on Thursday. 

Dusky Sound is only accessible by helicopter or ocean-going vessels. Photo / Stephanie Holmes 

Kuster didn’t want to say how old the man was or where he came from – although their clients were always New Zealand-based as Dusky Sound was off the regular tourist trail. 

The man held no animosity towards the shark, but she hadn’t asked if he planned to return to the water, she said. 

A diver was bitten by a shark - which he says was a great white - in Bowen Channel in Dusky Sound, Fiordland. Image / Google Maps 

Kuster has been involved in the charter boat business for 15 years and had never seen a great white in Dusky Sound, she said. 

“[We see] seven-gills all the time. We always say, ‘If you’re not seeing a shark, your eyes aren’t open’.” 

A curious great white was captured eyeballing a camera set up to record fish species in Fiordland last month, with footage showing the mature male snapping at a bait pot. 

A great white shark was filmed eyeballing a camera set to record fish species in Fiordland. Photo / Department of Conservation – Sea Through Science 

Scientists working on the project were amazed by the rare on-camera appearance, which occurred during a survey in Dusky Sound last month, RNZ reported. 

“It was quite a shock”, Sea Through Science researcher Adam Smith said. 

“It’s great to see these majestic creatures in their natural environment and to see how curious they are. We’ve only seen a [great] white shark once before during our surveys, at the Kermadec Islands, the other end of New Zealand.” 

The Herald contacted shark scientist Riley Elliott, but he didn’t want to comment without confirmation the shark involved was a great white, such as by seeing photos of the bite marks. 

Department of Conservation marine scientist and shark expert Clinton Duffy couldn’t be contacted. 

New Zealand is a global hotspot for great whites, which are protected in our waters, according to an online DoC page on the species. 

“In New Zealand waters they occur throughout the Exclusive Economic Zone north of about … Campbell Island … [and] juveniles and adults occur in shallow coastal waters, including large harbours and estuaries. 

“Sub-adults and adults also occur in the open ocean, as well as around offshore islands and banks.” 

Genetic and satellite tagging studies had shown movement of the sharks between New Zealand, Australia and the southwest Pacific, and Australia and South Africa, according to the page. 

Satellite tagging of New Zealand great whites had also shown that juveniles and adults migrated seasonally, from March to September, “between aggregation sites at Stewart Island and the Chatham Islands to the tropical and subtropical Pacific”. 

Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.