A series of shark encounters along Australia’s New South Wales coastline has resulted in multiple injuries and prompted extensive beach closures. The latest incident occurred Tuesday morning at Point Plomer, approximately 460 kilometers north of Sydney, where a 39-year-old surfer sustained minor injuries after a shark attacked his surfboard.
According to Matt Worrall, captain of the Kempsey-Crescent Head Surf Life Saving Club, the surfboard absorbed the majority of the impact. ‘He made his own way into shore where he was assisted by locals,’ Worrall reported to Australian Broadcasting Corp. The victim was transported to hospital by bystanders and later discharged.
This incident marks the fourth shark encounter in the region within a three-day period. The previous attacks included:
– A 12-year-old boy who suffered severe injuries after jumping from a 6-meter ledge at Shark Beach within Sydney Harbor on Sunday. Reports indicate the boy may have lost both legs in the attack, with friends credited for saving his life by dragging him to safety.
– An 11-year-old boy whose surfboard was bitten at Dee Why Beach on Monday, though he escaped unharmed.
– A surfer in his 20s who was critically injured after being bitten on the leg at North Steyne Beach Monday evening.
Authorities have responded by closing beaches indefinitely along the northern coast of New South Wales and deploying electronic drumlines off the Sydney coast to detect shark activity. Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce warned that recent rainfall has created murky water conditions particularly conducive to bull shark activity, the species responsible for most attacks around Sydney.
‘If you’re thinking about going for a swim, just go to a local pool because at this stage, we’re advising that beaches are unsafe,’ Pearce stated. The latest attack occurred in an isolated area without protective shark netting, raising questions about the effectiveness of current safety measures.