Surfers ‘chased from water’ by shark at Kirra Beach

Surfers have been seen unwittingly paddling and sitting directly above a large ball of baitfish following sightings of sharks very close to the site of a fatal shark attack on the Gold Coast. SEE THE PICTURES

Surfers have reportedly been chased from the water by a shark on the Gold Coast, right near the beach where real estate agent Nick Slater was fatally mauled by a 3.5m great white last week.

Southern Gold Coast beaches were closed after the scare at Kirra Beach on Tuesday morning, just north of where Mr Slater was killed a week ago.

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Online monitoring service Dorsal Shark Report says there was a public sighting of a 2m shark ‘feeding on baitfish in the shallows’ just before 9.30am.

Pictures taken about 1pm at Duranbah Beach, 500m away, showed multiple surfers paddling and unwittingly sitting over a large bait ball.

Surfers in the middle of a bait ball at Duranbah Beach on the Queensland NSW Border just days after a Fatal shark attack just 500 metres away at Greenmount Beach Coolangatta. Photo: Scott Powick News Corp

“Also 6-7 surfers came out of the water after sighting another shark in the line-up at Kirra Point,” the service reported.

Gold Coast chief lifeguard Warren Young said southern beaches were closed for ‘a couple of hours’ as lifeguards patrolled the area on jet skis.

Surfers over the bait ball just 500m from the scene of the fatal attack. Photo: Scott Powick News Corp

But he said the beaches had since reopened with no further sightings of the shark.

Surfers take no notice to large bait balls while surfing at Duranbah Beach. Photo: Scott Powick News Corp