ROUGH surf is compounding problems for lifeguards as sharks were again spotted on Friday morning.
Nobbys beach inspector Paul Bernard said a helicopter spotted a shark about three metres long near Merewether and Burwood beaches before 10am.
It is the same area where a dolphin was savaged by a shark on Thursday as swimmers splashed in the nearby Glenrock lagoon.
Mr Bernard said the shark was reported as about three metres long, a similar size to the one spotted on Thursday.
The Friday morning sighting comes as the city’s beaches reach a week closed due to consistent shark activity off the coast, putting authorities on high alert.
But surfers and swimmers continue to defy safety instructions from lifesavers, many of whom are working long hours to monitor shark activity in the area in the hopes of safely re-opening the city’s shore.
‘‘This is definitely an extraordinary situation,’’ Mr Bernard said.
‘‘We often see sharks herding schools of baitfish… but to have large sharks in the environment attacking other creatures in the middle of the day in close to shore is not something we see.’’
Beaches between Stockton and Redhead will remain shut on Friday.
Mr Bernard said it was paramount people heeded the dangers and stayed out of the water, with a rising swell posing its own dangers.
Surfers out at Merewether this week despite shark warnings. Pic: Peter Stoop, courtesy HeliServices Newcastle
‘‘Without the shark activity some of these beaches still may have been shut,’’ Mr Bernard said.
‘‘Our jetski operators in the last few days have had encounters they have not been seeking…to see people going in the water is very concerning.’’
Mr Bernard said the attack on a dolphin off Burwood on Thursday was also concerning, showing the power of the predators off Newcastle.
He said a shark attack on a dolphin was something he rarely saw in the area.
‘‘Dolphins are not small – they’re bigger than people,’’ he said.
source: theherald.com.au
STUDIO 3 NEWCASTLE AUSTRALIA 