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Bull sharks are considered extremely aggressive. (archive picture)
Bild: Duncan Heuer/Aussie Bubbles/dpa
Four people have been attacked by sharks in the space of two days in an Australian state. The authorities are now advising people to go to a swimming pool. The beaches are "unsafe".
After four shark attacks in beach areas in the Australian state of New South Wales, the authorities are advising tourists and residents to avoid the sea.
"If anyone is thinking of going to the surf near the northern beaches this morning, think again," a New South Wales representative told the ABC. "Just go to the pool because at this stage we are coming to the assessment that the beaches are unsafe."
The statement follows a shark attack on a surfer at Point Plomer on the morning of today, Tuesday, January 20, 2026. The 39-year-old had to be taken to hospital with minor injuries after the shark bit into his surfboard. In the course of the attack, the man sustained injuries to his chest.
The incident followed three other shark attacks, all of which had previously occurred within the last 48 hours. In Vaucluse, a twelve-year-old boy was attacked and injured by a shark, and the same happened to a 27-year-old in Manly.
The twelve-year-old is still in hospital. Meanwhile, an eleven-year-old boy in Dee Why escaped with a scare: the shark bit into his surfboard, but the boy was uninjured.
In all four cases, the attacking animals were bull sharks. This is no coincidence: the species benefits from the current weather conditions on the north coast.
"Bull sharks are one of the few shark species that can tolerate brackish and even fresh water for a while," marine biologist Jodie Rummer told the British Guardian. This allows the animals to move better "in estuaries and murky coastal waters after heavy rainfall".
Heavy rainfall in the region means that more fish, which the sharks usually feed on, are in the coastal area, which in turn attracts the sharks. In addition, according to Rummer, "more people than ever before" are swimming or surfing in the sea, which increases the likelihood of an encounter with a shark.
Beachgoers are advised to swim in groups and avoid the water altogether both at sunrise and sunset and after heavy rainfall. "The key message," says Jodie Rummer, "is to be smart".
