Tiger shark encounter at popular Woodgate Beach

Three teenagers got the fright of their life when a “quite long” tiger shark joined them on their swim in the shallows.

Three teenage girls got a far too close encounter with the wildlife while swimming at popular holiday beach Woodgate.

The beach, near the town of Childers in the Wide Bay, is a popular drawcard for locals and tourists alike thanks to its unspoilt sands and clear waters.

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But it’s also known to be a hotspot for shark sightings.

Fourth generation Walkers Point woman Téa Harwood, 18, was enjoying a refreshing swim with her visiting Italian cousins Lunar Ausili and Emma Dal Magro on Tuesday afternoon when a man warned them they may need to leave the water.

“We were just swimming close to the shore,” Ms Harwood said.

“We were like ‘they won’t be coming anywhere near the shore’.”

The girls took this photo of what they say was a 1.7m tiger shark in the shallows of Woodgate beach.

Swimming in the waist-deep water, only 5m from the water’s edge, the shark’s telltale fin poked out above the ocean.

“We were quite dumbfounded actually,” Ms Harwood said.

“It was super, super shallow so we didn’t expect anything at all.”

The girls watched as the “quite long” 1.7m tiger shark swam in the waves.

“We were in the water and it swam really far down the beach and we thought it would be OK to go back in, but then it turned back around,” Ms Harwood said.

“We got out just in time.”

Lunar Ausili, Tea Harwood and Emma Dal Magro had a frightening encounter with a tiger shark while swimming in shallow waters.

Ms Harwood said they had still been swimming at the beach but had been keeping a close eye on the water.

Dad Mic Harwood said he had been visiting Woodgate for 50 years and had only ever spotted the occasional shark.

In February last year, a traveller captured rate footage of a shark swimming in the shallows at Woodgate.

Surf Life Saving Queensland recommends to swim between the flags on patrolled beaches, avoid river mouths, avoid swimming during early morning and avoid swimming in the late afternoon.