Australia has closed dozens of beaches and urged people to stay out of the ocean after a fourth shark attack was reported within 48 hours.
The latest incident took place on Tuesday morning near Point Plomer, in New South Wales’s (NSW) mid-north coast, where a 39-year-old surfer was bitten by a shark while surfing near a national park campground.
The man was taken to the hospital in a stable condition with minor injuries, according to the local health district.
The latest attack followed a series of shark incidents across Sydney and its surrounding coastline since Sunday, prompting police, lifeguards, and marine authorities to warn that ocean conditions remain dangerous after days of heavy rain.
Steven Pearce, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving NSW, an organisation that promotes safe coastal enjoyment in NSW and the Australian Capital Territory, said the water quality along much of the coast was currently unsafe and urged people to avoid swimming altogether.
“If anyone’s thinking of heading into the surf this morning, anywhere along the northern beaches, think again,” Pearce told the ABC.
“We have such poor water quality that’s conducive to bull shark activity. We have two people critically injured in hospital this morning. Just go to a local pool, because at this stage, we’re advising that the beaches are unsafe.”
NSW SharkSmart, the government’s comprehensive programme to reduce shark bite risks, confirmed a “shark incident” at Point Plomer shortly after 10am on Tuesday, while lifeguard teams and drone surveillance were deployed in the area. Beaches between Town Beach and Crescent Head were closed as a precaution.
The latest attack comes after a 12-year-old boy was critically injured on Sunday afternoon after being bitten by a shark near Nielsen Park in Sydney Harbour. The boy, who was swimming with friends near a popular rock ledge, remains in hospital with serious injuries to both legs.
Police said the boy was pulled from the water by his friends before officers applied tourniquets to stem heavy bleeding. NSW police later warned that brackish conditions in the harbour, caused by heavy rainfall and runoff, had reduced visibility and increased the risk of shark encounters.
On Monday, an 11-year-old surfer escaped injury after a shark bit his board several times at Dee Why beach on Sydney’s northern beaches. The beach was closed, warning signs were erected and patrols launched, though no further sharks were sighted.
Later the same day, a 27-year-old man was bitten by a shark while surfing at Manly beach and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. All beaches across Sydney’s northern beaches council area were subsequently closed until at least Thursday.
Scientists say recent weather conditions have created an environment that increases the likelihood of shark activity close to shore.
Professor Jodie Rummer, a marine biologist at James Cook University, said heavy rainfall and warm waters draw fish into coastal areas, attracting predators.
“Storms and river outflows create flood plumes that carry nutrients and fish into coastal waters, which can attract prey species and, in turn, predators like sharks,” she said.
“Bull sharks are especially comfortable moving in and out of river mouths and turbid coastal waters after heavy rain.”
Dr Victoria Camilieri-Asch, a shark behaviour expert at Queensland University of Technology, said climate-driven warming was also extending the time sharks spend in coastal areas.
“Increasing water temperatures are causing sharks to spend more time in higher latitudes and remain longer on their summering grounds,” she said, adding that this extended overlap with human activity increases the chance of encounters.
According to conservation data, Australia records around 20 shark attacks a year, with fewer than three fatalities on average. However, authorities urged people to follow beach closures and avoid swimming in murky water, particularly after heavy rainfall.
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