Posted by on July 19, 2007 at 00:56:43:
An experienced diver claims he was attacked by a shark off the coast just west of Oslo, and warns that a family of sharks has established itself in the area. Odd Ingebretsen told Aftenposten.no on Wednesday that he was diving off Sjøstrand in Asker when he saw what he thought was a large, dead fish on the sea bottom. "When I touched it, I realized quickly that it neither was dead nor an ordinary fish," he said. The shark, about a meter long, went on the attack and bit into Ingebretsen's arm, which fortunately proved to be protected by underwater computer gear Ingebretsen had strapped there. He wasn't injured. "I could really feel, though, how strong the shark was," the 48-year-old diver said. He identitifed it as a rødhai, also known as scyliorhinus canicula. He believes there are more sharks in the waters of the Oslo Fjord. He cited other observations in other areas of the fjord, but contended that this relatively small version of "Jaws" isn't dangerous as long as it's not disturbed. Kristin Helle of the Marine Research Institute (Havforskningsinstituttet) said there are few studies of sharks in Norway, so it was difficult to confirm their presence in the fjord.
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