FEARS are growing for a man who is thought to have been dragged overboard by a great white shark during a fishing competition on Saturday. A major air and sea search is to resume to desperately find the fisherman off the New South Wales coast in Australia.
![[Aerial view of Newcastle Beach, NSW, Australia.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/2H73MYF.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The man was taking party in the interclub fishing competition yesterday off the coast of Port Stephens when he fell overboard. It's understood that the man was then horrifically dragged under by a great white shark. The NSW Water Police, Marine Rescue NSW and the Life Saver Rescue helicopter were desperately searching the area 55km off the Newcastle coast, north of Sydney.
![[Aerial view of Newcastle Beach, NSW, Australia.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/newcastle-beach-nsw-australia-newcastle-974520196.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
And around 30 fishing vessels, including some of those in the competition, joined in on the search. The rescue operation for the fisherman has so far taken the shape of a line search across the water. Authorities have also undertaken drift testing to desperately find him.
Inspector Paul Stitt from NSW Ambulance said paramedics were on standby for the fisherman. He said: "We are using all of our resources to hope for a positive outcome.". Game fishing competitions are widely popular off this particular coastline due to the deep water and warm currents where fish and sharks reside.
