There were at least four reported shark attacks along Australia’s New South Wales coastline in a span of less than 48 hours, prompting authorities to close dozens of beaches.
On Sunday, a boy thankfully narrowly escaped a much worse fate after a shark bit his surfboard. Unfortunately, a 27-year-old surfer at nearby Manly Beach was bitten by a shark, incurring what police described as “life-changing injuries.”
Another surfer fell off his board and into the sights of a nearby shark. Luckily, the surfer walked away with comparatively minor wounds. Another surfer in the Mid-Northern Coast had a chunk bitten out of him after he came face-to-face with a shark.
Authorities have closed more than a dozen beaches across northern Sydney and sections of the Mid North Coast, urging residents to stay out of the water. Surf Life Saving New South Wales called the number of attacks in such a short time “unprecedented.”
Dozens of Australian Beaches Closed After Four Shark Attacks in Under 48 Hours
The BBC reports that experts believe bull sharks were responsible for most of the incidents. Bull sharks are among the world’s most dangerous shark species, notable for their ability to move between saltwater and freshwater.
Heavy rainfall and warmer-than-usual ocean temperatures may have created a perfect storm of shark conditions, including murky water, reduced visibility, and an influx of prey flushed from rivers into coastal areas. If you’re a human amongst all that, a shark that normally would ignore you might suddenly think you are its prey.
It should be noted that, despite the sudden cluster of shark attacks, shark attacks remain rare in Australia and everywhere else on the planet. That said, understandably, coastal communities are rattled as the string of attacks comes only months after a fatal attack in the same area.
Officials are monitoring the seas with drones and floating traps, or drumlines, that can snare sharks.
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