Point Plomer: Shark mauls surfer near Port Macquarie in fourth attack in two days
A surfer has been mauled by a shark in the fourth attack in less than 48 hours in NSW.
A group of surfers were reportedly in the water at Point Plomer, near Port Macquarie, when they saw a group of about four sharks before one was bitten.
A bystander took the 39-year-old man to Kempsey Hospital for treatment where he is in a stable condition with minor injuries.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.The shark involved is believed to be a bull shark.
Following the terrifying incident on the Mid North Coast, authorities ordered the closure of beaches from Queens Head to Big Hill.
It comes after three shark incidents on Sydney beaches in just 26 hours, including a man left in critical condition after an attack at Manly’s North Steyne Beach on Monday night, a 12-year-old bitten at Nielsen Park in Vaucluse, and an 11-year-old boy’s surfboard bitten at Dee Why on Monday.
After the third attack and before the latest incident, Steven Pearce, CEO of Surf Life Saving NSW, warned people to stay out of the water.
“Do not enter the water for swimming or surfing for the next 48 hours. This is unprecedented. To have this in the 24 hours,” he said on Sunrise on Tuesday morning.
He said beach closures across the Northern Beaches were in place for 48 hours due to “turbidity and just the murkiness of the water”, with lifeguards on jet skis, drones at ten beaches, a rescue helicopter and 34 drumlines deployed.
Shark experts have warned of a bull shark spike over the next week due to warm waters, storm runoff and poor visibility.
David Baxter said bull sharks thrived in current conditions: “The fact is that the conditions were just right for a species like a bull shark, we’ve got dirty water, a lot of the runoffs from the creeks and the drains, and that stimulates the curiosity of sharks,” he told the ABC.
They investigate by biting since they “don’t have hands, so they feel with their mouth,” often severing arteries. He advised avoiding murky, overcast days.
The spate of attacks have renewed calls for a shark cull, including from former Prime Minister Tony Abbott.
“Three shark attacks in three days in Sydney. This didn’t happen because of the weather or time of day but because there are too many sharks,” he said on social media.
He said it was “way past time to reintroduce the shark fishery” in Sydney Harbour.
