brisbane, australia
—
Australia’s long summer school holidays usually draw crowds to beaches, but a spate of shark attacks in the country’s most populous state has prompted warnings to stay out of the water.
Around 40 beaches along the New South Wales coast remain closed after four shark attacks within 48 hours, all believed to be caused by bull sharks. The bull shark is a stocky species with powerful jaws that lurks in the murky water near river mouths after heavy rains.
Bull sharks typically live in warmer waters along the coast, but during the summer they migrate down the coastline towards Sydney’s most popular beaches. Sydney experienced the heaviest rain in at least a decade in 24 hours last weekend, creating the perfect conditions for a potentially deadly encounter, experts say.
“Shark sightings and people running into sharks are common, but to have four incidents where all the victims were actually attacked by sharks is really unusual,” said Steve Pearce, CEO of NSW Surf Life Saving, which patrols the state’s beaches with volunteers on weekends.
Bull sharks have the unique ability to live in both freshwater and saltwater. When heavy rain washes bait from the estuary into the ocean, they tend to follow it and take the bait bite by bite, as the water quality is almost invisible.
On Sunday, a 12-year-old boy and his friend jumped into the waters of Sydney Harbour, where at least one bull shark was hidden in the muddy water beneath a rock in Vaucluse.
The boy was the first of four people attacked in separate incidents, and experts say they may not be the last until the water clears and the bull shark moves away.
Temperatures are expected to rise over the weekend as people head to parks and beaches ahead of the Australia Day public holiday.
“We’re expecting very high temperatures this weekend, so we know that tens of thousands of people will be flocking to the coastline,” Pearce said. “We know they’re going to be in the water whether it’s closed or not.”
“The beaches are closed. They’re closed for a reason. Stay out of the water, no swimming, no surfing.”
The 12-year-old boy who was attacked Sunday was pulled from the water by friends, and first responders quickly placed tourniquets on both legs.
He remains in hospital in a serious condition, as did the 25-year-old surfer who was attacked on Monday at North Steyne Beach in Manly, a popular tourist destination in Sydney’s northern suburbs.
Another surfer, Dayan Neave, was on the beach when the attack occurred. He said two tourists helped pull the victim from the water.
“I ran down and helped him get him because the surfer stood up and passed out and his leg was pretty badly lacerated,” Neve told CNN affiliate Nine News. “Before I ran down the beach, I just grabbed the leg rope, pulled my leg up onto the dry sand and immediately applied a tourniquet.”
Earlier in the day, an animal believed to be a bull shark bit an 11-year-old’s surfboard by about 15 centimeters at Dee Why Point.
The next day, another man was surfing at Point Plomer on the NSW Mid-North Coast when a shark grabbed his board. Police said the man was treated for minor injuries and released from the hospital.
But the attack did not deter everyone from leaving the beach.
Rob West told CNN on Tuesday that he had been surfing that morning at Bondi Beach, which is still open.
“I’ve been surfing since I was 13 years old and I’ve never seen anyone surf outside. They probably saw me so many times that they realized who I was. I don’t look like a seal enough to be attacked,” he told CNN.
When asked why he and others bravely entered the sea despite the threat of sharks, he replied: “I would definitely risk it for a biscuit.”
With northern beaches closed, council and volunteer surf lifesavers have been deployed to monitor the waters off the coast. Drones have been launched to scan the waves and rescue helicopters are sweeping along the coastline. Pearce, from NSW Surf Lifesaving, said surf lifesavers were also riding jet skis to check water quality and look for sharks.
Vincent Raoult, a senior lecturer in marine ecology at Griffith University, said after heavy rain it could take up to a week for the water to clear and the threat to bull sharks to subside.
“In situations where bull sharks encounter humans, it’s really brackish, murky waters, so bull sharks don’t rely on their eyesight,” Raul said.
“Like most shark species, the way sharks actually sense their surroundings is by biting things. And unfortunately, when a larger shark attacks a person, a bite can be fatal.”
Mr Raul said research did not show bull shark populations were increasing around Sydney. Rather, he believes the surge in interactions is likely related to more people using beaches and waterways as development continues to encroach on shark habitat.
He said more education was needed to warn people of the risks, a point echoed by NSW Premier Chris Minns on Tuesday.
“I remember hearing from one of my aunts when I was a child that bull sharks come into the river mouth especially when the water is cloudy due to stormy weather,” Minns told local radio station 2GB.
“It can be incredibly dangerous. So I think we probably need to beef up our warning systems and communications, especially during severe weather.”
CNN’s Angus Watson contributed reporting.
