A 17-year-old surf lifesaving volunteer, Charlize Zmuda, tragically lost her life after being attacked by a shark while swimming off Woorim Beach in Queensland, Australia. The incident occurred on Monday afternoon, and despite the efforts of emergency services, Zmuda succumbed to her injuries. The local community has rallied around Zmuda's grieving family, holding a memorial tribute on the beach where she died.
On Monday afternoon, 17-year-old surf lifesaving volunteer Charlize Zmuda headed down to Woorim Beach, one of Bribie Island’s most popular beaches, for a swim. Though the swell was small, the conditions weren’t perfect: it was slightly overcast and the water had a murky tinge, likely from recent rain. But Zmuda was an experienced swimmer, involved in the Bribie Island Nippers from the age of eight.
She knew, as her parents and representatives from Surf Life Saving Queensland have emphasized in the hours since, the risks associated with entering the ocean. Charlize Zmuda, 17, has been described as a brilliant and talented young woman who loved the ocean and volunteering as a surf lifesaver. Just before 5pm, while swimming about 100 meters offshore at one of her favorite spots – an access point toward the end of Rickman Parade, about 500 meters from the patrolled section of Woorim Beach – Zmuda encountered one of the rarest risks. She was attacked by a shark. Witnesses and emergency services rushed to help the teen, but her upper body wounds were so significant she was pronounced dead at the scene. Twenty-four hours after the attack, the local community has rallied around her grieving friends and family, with more than a thousand gathering along the beach to pay tribute to Zmuda in the place where she lost her life. Credit: Earlier that day, Surf Life Saving Queensland chief executive Dave Whimpey, alongside Zmuda’s father Steve, addressed the media outside the Bribie Island Surf Club. “She was a highly skilled lifesaver and she spent her time looking after Queenslanders,” Whimpey said. “I’m here today to support Steve and his wife Renee and Charlize’s sister and just wrap ourselves around the club.” By the evening, it was more than just the local surf lifesaving community wrapping themselves around the Zmudas. Ferried down the beach on surf patrol quads, the family arrived to a sea of hundreds, carrying balloons, flowers and tributes for their daughter. Wading into the crowd, Charlize’s parents Steve and Renee beckoned the masses closer. Through choked words, they thanked the community for the support and again spoke of their “brilliant, talented” daughter who died doing what she loved best. When their voices faltered, a family friend raised his against the wind. “I want everyone to look around and see how special one 17-year-old is,” he bellowed. Flowers were laid in the place where paramedics treated Charlize, before balloons were released. A GoFundMe page set up to support the family has already raised more than $21,000 from nearly 240 people, with one anonymous donation of $10,000 alone. Representatives from Surf Life Saving Queensland said they will continue to monitor conditions and the beach, which remains closed until further notice. The Department of Primary Industries confirmed on Tuesday shark drumlines off Woorim were last baited on Saturday. According to the department, no sharks had been caught on these drumlines this year. Three were caught there last year
SHARK ATTACK SURF LIFESAVING QUEENSLAND AUSTRALIA TRAGEDY COMMUNITY TRIBUTE
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