Fourth day of shark alerts shuts down Sydney beaches including Bondi
Rescue crews and drones spotted sharks at Bondi, Tamarama and Bronte on Friday morning, forcing swimmers out of the water for the fourth day in a row.
Repeated beach closures
Several Sydney beaches, including the iconic Bondi Beach, were closed to the public for the fourth consecutive day on Friday after morning patrols detected sharks near the shore. Lifeguards and surveillance drones observed the predators off Tamarama and Bronte in the city's eastern suburbs, according to Shark Smart, the New South Wales shark-warning platform. Bathers were told to stay out of the water while authorities monitored the situation.
Sightings have mounted in recent days. Footage captured by the Drone Shark App showed a great white shark cruising close to Bondi Beach, a world-famous spot popular with surfers and tourists. Other dangerous species have also been reported. On Thursday, loudspeaker announcements ordered surfers to come ashore immediately after a shark was detected near their position.
The earlier attack at Coogee
The current wave of closures follows a severe shark attack two weeks earlier at nearby Coogee Beach. On 13 June, a 35-year-old woman was swimming in shallow water when she was struck by what is believed to have been a great white shark. The injuries were life-threatening. Doctors amputated one of her arms to save her, and she also suffered deep wounds to a leg.
Recovery of the victim
Her family has since reported a significant improvement. The woman is no longer in a critical condition, is awake and responsive, and has been able to see her young daughter for the first time since the incident, according to a statement from her brother quoted by the Sydney Morning Herald. She remembers the entire episode in detail. Several more surgical procedures are still planned.
Renewed debate over shark management
The attack and the ongoing sightings have revived a long-standing Australian argument about how to handle sharks. After such incidents, calls for culling routinely resurface. Scientists, however, point to little evidence that culling reduces the risk, and great white sharks are a strictly protected species. The New South Wales government is instead putting money into drones, electronic monitoring and other early-warning tools, while acknowledging that risk in the ocean can never be eliminated entirely.
