Surfer bitten in 4th shark attack off Australia’s east coast in 3 days

A surfer narrowly escaped serious injury Tuesday in what marks the fourth shark attack off Australia’s New South Wales coast in just three days, continuing a concerning trend of encounters along the country’s most populous state.

The 39-year-old man was attacked while surfing at Point Plomer, located about 460 kilometers (290 miles) north of Sydney. According to officials, the shark primarily damaged his surfboard, leaving the man with only minor cuts.

“The board seemed to take most of the impact,” said Matt Worrall, captain of the Kempsey-Crescent Head Surf Life Saving Club. “He made his own way into shore where he was assisted by locals.”

Bystanders drove the injured surfer to a hospital, where he was treated and subsequently discharged.

This incident follows a string of more serious attacks in the Sydney area over the weekend. On Sunday, a 12-year-old boy suffered critical injuries after being attacked when he jumped from a 6-meter (20-foot) ledge known as Jump Rock near Shark Beach in Sydney Harbor. Local media reported the boy lost both legs in the attack. His friends have been credited with saving his life by jumping into the water during the attack and dragging him back to shore.

“Those actions of those young men are brave under the circumstances and very confronting injuries for those boys to see,” Superintendent Joseph McNulty told reporters.

The following day saw two more incidents. Around noon on Monday, an 11-year-old boy escaped uninjured when a shark bit a chunk out of his surfboard at Dee Why Beach, north of Manly. Later that evening, a surfer in his 20s was attacked off North Steyne Beach in Manly, suffering critical leg injuries.

In response to the cluster of attacks, authorities closed beaches along New South Wales’ northern coast and northern Sydney on Tuesday. Officials announced Sydney’s northern beaches would remain closed to swimmers and surfers for at least 48 hours as a safety precaution. Electronic drumlines, which alert authorities when large sharks take bait, have been deployed off the Sydney coast.

Authorities pointed to recent rainfall as a potential factor in the increased shark activity, particularly from bull sharks, which are responsible for most attacks in the Sydney area.

“If anyone’s thinking of heading into the surf this morning anywhere along the northern beaches, think again. We have such poor water quality that’s really conducive to some bull shark activity,” warned Steve Pearce, Chief Executive of Surf Life Saving NSW.

“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,” he added.

All three Sydney beaches where attacks occurred have some form of shark protection netting, though officials haven’t specified whether the incidents occurred inside or outside these protected areas. The latest attack at Point Plomer occurred at an isolated location without shark netting, according to Pearce.

These incidents follow two fatal shark attacks in recent months. In September, a 57-year-old surfer was killed by a suspected white shark near Dee Why Beach. In November, a 25-year-old Swiss tourist died while her partner was seriously injured as they swam off a national park north of Sydney.

The string of attacks has heightened concerns about shark safety along Australia’s east coast, particularly as summer approaches in the Southern Hemisphere and more people take to the water. Marine biologists have noted that changing ocean temperatures and shifting prey patterns may be contributing factors to increased shark activity in certain coastal areas.