Australian Beaches Closed Amid Shark Fears

Darwin, 20 January: Authorities have closed more than several dozen beaches along Australia’s eastern coastline, including in Sydney, after a spate of shark attacks and heavy rainfall that has reduced water visibility, officials said on Tuesday.

According to a report by Reuters, beaches around Port Macquarie, about 400 kilometres north of Sydney, were shut after a man was injured by a shark bite while surfing on Tuesday morning. The incident followed another attack on Monday evening at Manly Beach in Sydney, where a 20-year-old surfer was wounded.

Within the same two-day period, a child narrowly escaped injury in one incident, while a teenager was seriously hurt at another beach, prompting heightened concern among authorities.

Steven Pearce, Chief Executive of Surf Life Saving New South Wales, told reporters that beachgoers should avoid swimming in the ocean for now. “If people are planning to swim, it’s safer to go to local swimming pools at the moment. The beaches are not safe right now,” he said.

Pearce added that current water conditions have created an environment favourable for bull sharks. Experts say days of heavy rainfall have caused a mix of fresh and salt water — known as brackish water — in harbours and nearby beaches, which is ideal for bull sharks and increases their activity.

Shark behaviour expert and researcher Chris Pepin-Neff told the Sydney Morning Herald that sharks do not typically attack humans. However, murky water limits their visibility, making accidental encounters more likely. “In low visibility, if a shark bumps into something, it may bite out of curiosity or defensively,” he said.

Pepin-Neff also noted that heavy rain washes sewage and debris into the ocean, attracting smaller fish, which in turn draw sharks closer to shore.

Environmental agencies estimate that Australia records an average of around 20 shark attacks each year, fewer than three of which are fatal. By contrast, the number of deaths from drowning at Australian beaches is significantly higher.