Shark sightings along the Newcastle coastline will shut beaches for an unprecedented ninth straight day but an attack on the NSW south coast couldn't halt a nearby surf lifesaving event.
A five-metre great white, nicknamed Bruce, and a three-and-a-half metre shark that lunched on a dolphin have kept 15km of Newcastle coastline closed this weekend.
Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy was bitten on the hand by a 1.5m shark on Friday at Mollymook Beach, about three and a half hours south of Sydney.
Sam Smith has been flown to a Sydney hospital with lacerations to his hand sustained after he tried to film the shark while spearfishing.
But the attack didn't stop hundreds of competitors at the NSW Country Surf Lifesaving Championships at the other end of the beach.
"The carnival is just south of where the incident occurred," a Surf Life Saving NSW spokeswoman said.
"We're just going to monitor the situation, we don't feel the need to panic everyone."
But in Newcastle, the presence of two large sharks has been enough for beach inspectors to avoid the risk of an attack.
"This is a creature you don't want to encounter," said a Newcastle council spokeswoman.
Swimmers and surfers have been warned to keep away despite the temptation of cooling off in the summer heat.
"They are in hunting mode, we've seen them in the midst of attacking dolphins," the spokeswoman said, referring to pictures of a dolphin with huge chunks missing from its body.
Beach inspectors will consider reopening beaches on Monday, but only if the sharks are not spotted for at least 24 hours and appear to have moved away.
While many swimmers have expressed frustration on social media, a Twitter account has emerged under the handle @Newy_Shark.
"Feel free to drop me a line. I'll be waiting with baited breath," Newy Shark tweeted.
The latest sighting was at about 9am on Friday when helicopter crews spotted a three-and-a-half metre shark near Burwood Beach.
Increased marine activity and warm weather are thought to be possible reasons for the sharks' prolonged presence.
CSIRO shark expert Barry Bruce said the creatures were common along the NSW coastline but only get noticed when they stop near a heavily populated area, like Newcastle.
Share
