One of the most popular beach spots in Australia was forced to be evacuated after a horrific sight was seen along the shore, with sharks being spotted in the area shortly after
An urgent warning to be wary of sharks has been issued for a major tourist hotspot.
Aussies were left horrified when an urgent warning to get out of the water was made on a popular Sydney beach at around 4pm on Friday (August 22). Several sightings for sharks were made around the same time, with other nearby bays spotting the animal.
The first sighting was at Jibbon Beach near the Australian hub, prompting swimmers and surfers to get out of the water as soon as possible. Just after this, calls were made to local authorities about a huge whale carcass that had washed up on the rocks close by, often something which draws sharks to the area.
Beachgoers looked on with horror as the whale carcass smashed its way onto the shore thanks to the waves carrying it from the sea. However, according to News.com.au, this is not the first recent sighting of a shark in the local area.
On August 12, another ferocious shark, measuring around 6 metres in length was spotted by the official shark monitoring service in the suburb of Cronulla. A separate shark – with a different tagging number – was also spotted close by.
Another shark was also spotted in Cronulla waters, spanning 2 metres, that initially was not tagged – but has since been identified and released. As a result of the incidents over the past month, urgent shark warnings have been issued, urging residents to avoid going into the water if possible.
In response to the multiple shark sightings in recent weeks, many local residents have taken to social media to give their thoughts on the fish’s movements. One user insisted: “Be careful swimming or surfing around Jibbon Beach.”
A second user added: “‘Dead whale sent’ is meant to bring in those hungry bitey big fish!” While a third Facebook page exclaimed: “My hiking group saw this yesterday by Shelley Beach; rescue officers we met at Cronulla Wharf are aware.”
It comes just days after a man had to be airlifted to hospital after he was attacked and mauled in the Bahamas. The 63-year-old had been spearfishing last Sunday (August 17) when the shark struck, leaving him with severe injuries.
Taking place at around 1pm near Big Grand Cay on the island of Abaco, the incident last several minutes, and resulted in the man being taken to a local clinic. However, it was later determined his injuries were too severe to treat locally and he was later taken to hospital in the nearby United States.
Shark sightings are increasingly common in both Australia and the Caribbean, but despite this – the number of callouts to deal with shark attacks remains strikingly low. According to data from the International Shark Attack File (ISAF), only 47 people were bitten in unprovoked shark attacks during 2024.
The ISAF revealed that these numbers are the lowest that they have been in over three decades, highlighting the awareness people have for the creatures. In total, only 4 people died as a result of the injuries they sustained from the attack.
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