The World Surf League competition in New Zealand was abruptly put on hold when a photographer was attacked by a sea creature in the water on May 25.
Australian photographer Ed Sloane was bitten just before 8:30 am local time while shooting the men's semi-finals at the New Zealand Pro near Raglan on the North Island's west coast. The attack left him with puncture wounds to his ankle and a flipper being ripped off. Sloane was taken to the hospital and is in stable condition.
Competition officials immediately pulled the plug on the heat, extracting Brazilian surfers Yago Dora and Ítalo Ferreira from the water via jet ski after just 10 minutes of competition.
"It's the first time we have activated code red," Renato Hickel, vice president of tours and competition, said on the WSL broadcast. "At this stage we are not certain if it was a shark or a sea lion—the doctor on the scene was inclined to think it was a sea lion—nevertheless, very scary."
The incident sparked urgent safety concerns, though organizers resumed Dora and Ferreira's heat four hours after the incident.
Some of the deadliest wildlife on the planet make the oceans and wetlands their home. And beware: these creatures range from the downright vicious to the seriously venomous. Click through this gallery and submerge yourself in this list of aquatic killers.