Camilla Jessen
Authorities warn swimmers after multiple shark attacks.
A 39-year-old surfer was injured on Tuesday, Jan. 20, while surfing at Point Plomer on Australia’s Mid North Coast.
According to a news release from the New South Wales Police Force, the attack happened at about 10:15 a.m. local time when “a shark took hold” of the man’s surfboard.
The surfer suffered a chest wound and was taken to Kempsey District Hospital by a bystander, 10 News reported. After being treated and discharged, he later reported the incident at Kempsey Police Station.
The man has not been publicly identified.
Beach closures
NSW Police confirmed that several nearby beaches were closed following the attack. The affected areas include Point Plomer Beach, One Palm Beach, Back Beach and Queens Head.
When contacted by PEOPLE, a spokesperson for the NSW Police Force said, “Unfortunately, there is no further information available at this time.”
Images obtained by 10 News showed a large section missing from the surfboard and a hole torn through the man’s wetsuit where the shark bit.
Safety warnings
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said the surfer was lucky to escape serious harm. “[He’s] very fortunate to not have sustained any serious injuries,” Pearce told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
He linked recent conditions to increased shark activity, noting heavy rainfall across the region.
“After a big weather event, there’s always going to be a lot of run-off and outflow of creeks into the ocean and river mouths,” he said.
“We really strongly advocate that nobody swim or surf near river mouths because it’s obviously an area where sharks congregate,” Pearce added.
Series of attacks
The Point Plomer incident was the fourth reported shark attack along the New South Wales coastline in 48 hours.
A day earlier, a surfer in his 20s was bitten at North Steyne Beach in Manly, suffering serious leg injuries. He remains in critical condition, according to local reports.
Earlier the same day, an 11-year-old boy was rescued after a suspected bull shark bit his surfboard at Dee Why Beach, News.com.au reported. The child was not injured.
On Sunday, Jan. 18, a 13-year-old boy was critically injured after being bitten while jumping off rocks in Sydney Harbour.
Possible causes
University of Sydney public policy expert Chris Pepin-Neff told the Australian Associated Press that environmental factors may be playing a role.
He said Sydney Harbour’s ageing sewage system could be attracting sharks.
“When the pipes overflow, when there’s more sewage, the bait fish eat the sewage and then the bull sharks come to eat the bait fish,” he said. “Three shark bites in two days suggests to me there’s a unique environmental condition that is more than just the heavy rain.”
Sources: New South Wales Police Force, 10 News, ABC, Australian Associated Press, PEOPLE
