Three beaches in Shoalhaven on Australia's NSW South Coast were evacuated in the space of a day due to a sudden influx of sharks. In fact, one incident even saw a pair of swimmers being forced to flee from the waters after a great white shark was seen circling just meters from shore.
Earlier today, the Twitter account for the state government’s SharkSmart website shared a series of unsettling aerial shots of Great White sharks - one which harrowingly showed a couple of surfers paddling terrifyingly close to a 2.5m shark.
The photo was taken at Berrara Beach at 12:47 pm today, after which the beach was evacuated. Authorities were also made aware of the danger.
Sightings of the apex predators have also led to the closure of another two beaches in the same area. In Bherwerre, a photo of a 3m Great White was snapped offshore at 12:44 pm and at Cudmirrah Beach, a 2.5m shark was seen at 12:45 pm.
Alarming footage featuring a great white shark attacking its prey, and causing the sea to turn red as a result, has shocked viewers. (Some viewers may find the footage upsetting)The alarming incidents come just a month after a two-meter great white shark was caught swimming beneath surfers at Bondi Beach. And back in October, a young great white shark measuring 1.6 meters was seen near the shore of Manly Point on Sydney's northern beaches. This dramatic footage shows a fisherman fighting off 15ft great white shark with a spear as it follows him for ten minutes:
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Over 80 sharks were sighted at beaches in the Shoalhaven during last year's festive holidays.
According to news.com.au, the Department of Primary Industries should be increasing its patrols over the summer in order to allow swimmers to monitor shark activity using SharkSmart.
