Swimmers and surfers yesterday were warned to steer clear of beaches in parts of eastern Australia after four shark attacks in the space of 48 hours.
Heavy rains stirring up murky waters have been blamed for the unusual spate of attacks in the state of New South Wales. Surf Life Saving New South Wales said the turbid waters were ideal for bull sharks, urging people to stick to the pool until conditions cleared.
“We have such poor water quality that’s conducive to bull shark activity,” the water safety body told Australian Broadcasting Corp. “Just go to a local pool, because at this stage we’re advising that the beaches are unsafe.”
Photo: Reuters
A surfer in the state’s Mid North Coast was lucky to escape with “minor” injuries after he was bitten by a shark while catching waves yesterday, Surf Life Saving New South Wales said.
It was the state’s fourth recorded shark attack over the previous 48 hours. In one of those attacks, a shark bit a man’s legs as he surfed at Manly, leaving him in a critical condition.
A few hours earlier, an 11-year-old boy escaped uninjured when a shark took a bite out of his surfboard a little further north.
All of Sydney’s northern beaches have been closed until further notice.
On Sunday afternoon, a 12-year-old boy was seriously injured as he swam at a beach at Sydney Harbour.
Scientists said that heavy rain had attracted bull sharks to coastal areas where rivers emptied into the sea.
“Sharks, especially bulls, are drawn to freshwater flushes to feed on fish and dead animals as they drift down from rivers,” Culum Brown from Macquarie University said. “Given the incredible rainfall we have had of late, the risk of encountering sharks is high. Stay out of the water till it clears.”
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