At a Glance
- A 39-year-old surfer was bitten on the chest at Point Plomer, bringing the total to four attacks in two days
- Nearby beaches closed include Point Plomer, One Palm, Back Beach and Queens Head
- An 11-year-old boy, a 13-year-old boy and a man in his 20s were also attacked since Sunday
- Why it matters: Swimmers and surfers face heightened danger as environmental conditions draw sharks closer to shore
Four shark attacks in 48 hours have rattled Australia’s New South Wales coastline, with the latest victim-a 39-year-old surfer-airlifted to hospital Tuesday morning after a shark latched onto his board and left him with a chest wound.
Attack Details
The incident unfolded at 10:15 a.m. on Jan. 20 at Point Plomer on the Mid North Coast. New South Wales Police Force said “a shark took hold” of the man’s surfboard, punching a chunk out of the fiberglass and tearing a hole through his wetsuit.
A bystander drove the victim to Kempsey District Hospital where he was treated and later discharged. He then filed an official report at Kempsey Police Station.
Photos broadcast by 10 News show:
- A surfboard with a crescent-shaped bite section missing
- A matching tear in the neoprene wetsuit across the torso
- Police tape fluttering along empty shoreline
Beach Closures
NSW Police Force immediately closed four beaches:
- Point Plomer Beach
- One Palm Beach
- Back Beach
- Queens Head
Officers have not said when stretches of sand will reopen.
Rapid-Fire Sequence
The Point Plomer bite is part of an unprecedented 48-hour streak:
Sunday, Jan. 18
- 13-year-old boy critically injured after a shark bit him while he jumped off rocks at the end of a beach in Sydney Harbour
Monday, Jan. 19
- Morning: 11-year-old boy rescued from suspected bull shark at Dee Why Beach; shark bit his board but left him unharmed
- Afternoon: Surfer in his 20s mauled at North Steyne Beach, Manly, suffering serious leg wounds; he remains in critical condition
Tuesday, Jan. 20
- 39-year-old surfer attacked at Point Plomer
Environmental Trigger
Steve Pearce, chief executive of Surf Life Saving NSW, tied the surge in bites to recent heavy rain.
“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 told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
Pearce urged ocean users to stay away from river mouths where baitfish-and the sharks that hunt them-cluster.
University of Sydney public policy expert Chris Pepin-Neff pointed to another factor: ageing sewage infrastructure. He told the Australian Associated Press that 100-year-old pipes in Sydney Harbour overflow during storms.
“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, and that draws them into the surface and into the shore,” Pepin-Neff said.
He added, “Three shark bites in two days suggests to me there’s a unique environmental condition that is more than just the heavy rain.”
Official Response
A NSW Police Force spokesperson told News Of Los Angeles: “Unfortunately, there is no further information available at this time.”
Authorities have not identified the 39-year-old surfer publicly.
Key Takeaways
- Four separate shark attacks in two days mark one of the densest clusters on record for New South Wales
- Victims range from age 11 to 39, with two children and two adults injured
- Environmental factors-rain run-off and possible sewage overflow-appear to be driving sharks closer to popular beaches
- Beach closures remain in effect along the Mid North Coast as police and marine experts assess risk
