Maybe the sharks aren't going to piss off

[pinhead]

My hypothesis:

the locations of the recent upsurge in attacks: Reunion, WA, Northern NSW are all close to whale migration paths. Whaling was shut down in the seventies and its only in the last ten years we've been seeing significant recovery in whale numbers. NSW is seeing 10% increase per year. With more whales, more sharks are able to reach maturity and reach the size where they are likely to have a go at something as big as a surfboard.

Whale are a major food source for mature sharks, a feed of whale will last a shark many months. When whale numbers were low - sharks would have to expend energy following whale migration paths in order to maximise the odds of bagging the odd sick one or lost calf. As whale numbers have increased a more efficient hunting strategy would be to hunt at some location along the migration path and live off the nutrition provided until the whales return.In the mean time sniff around the nearby coastline and have a nip at anything interesting floating in the water.

Surfing has emerged as a lifestyle in the seventies - noughties.
This coincided with the nadir of whale populations and slow recovery. We've had thirty years for whale numbers to recover to the point where their abundance at certain locations has created the tipping point in shark hunting behaviour. So what I'm saying is the threat level we've thought was normal while thousands of us have been growing up surfing was in fact an anomaly and ten attacks a year is now the new normal.

Of course all this is completely unsubstantiated and not backed up by any scientific evidence of any sort, therefore perfect for posting on Realsurf.

[Beanpole]

When Byron Bay was a whaling town and whaling ships went out from Ballina to catch them there were hundreds of sharks around the area. Still used to hang around the meat works that ran after the whale processing stopped. If you watch Barefoot Adventure you see The Pass and they comment on how many sharks there are.
Rainbow Bay used to be called Shark Bay in the old days according to my mum.

In the sixties a combination of netting and good Old Ben Cropp with his shotgun cartridge power head speargun gave the shark population a serious whack.
Still probably a bit of truth in what you say The Pin. I reckon the current mob have turned up after chasing that whale carcass for a few weeks and feeding off it.

[Headlander]

Pinhead, that has to be up there as one of the more believable theories put up about the sharks yet! Well done!