Hundreds of sharks spotted at popular Australian beach
Hundreds of sharks have been spotted at one of Australia’s most popular beaches, just weeks after a tourist was mauled to death.
Hundreds of sharks have been spotted at one of Australia’s most popular holiday destinations, just weeks after a Swiss tourist was fatally attacked.
Footage posted to TikTok by Darcy Brown shows masses of sharks swimming close to the shoreline as beachgoers watch on from the sand at Byron Bay’s Tallow Beach.
In one clip, Mr Brown can even be seen swimming among the animals as they follow large groups of bait fish.
The video has gathered over 170,000 views on social media, with many branding the scenes an “absolute nightmare.”
“Why would you swim with that many sharks?” wrote one viewer.
“This is my worst nightmare as a surfer,” said another.
“I have anxiety while sitting on my lounge,” said a third.
“Just another Aussie day at the beach,” weighed in a fourth.
The footage is just one of many over the last few days, showing sharks – including black tip whalers, dusky whalers and bull sharks – getting up close and personal with the surf zones in Byron.
One video shows a group of large sharks splashing around in knee-high water, while a child watches on nearby.
“A million and one sharks in Byron over the last few days,” the video was captioned.
Huge schools of pilchards have been darkening the shallows, mostly to the south of Cape Byron.
The fish are known to appear closer to the surface in summer, forming large bait balls that attract hordes of marine and land animals.
Tourist killed while swimming in NSW
Just weeks ago, a Swiss tourist was killed by a shark on the NSW Mid North Coast while swimming at 6:30am.
The woman in her 20s died while her boyfriend, also aged in his 20s, was seriously injured during a swim at Crowdy Bay, five hours south of Byron Bay.
The couple were reportedly swimming with dolphins and in proximity to a number of bait balls at the time.
The horrifying scene came after much-loved surfer Mercury Psillakis, 57, was mauled by a shark while in the line-up with friends on September 6.
The Dee Why local had seen the shark around 100 metres off the beach and had told his mates to get close for safety before he was taken by what was estimated to be a 5-metre-long shark, according toThe Daily Telegraph.
He was pulled from the surf by four or five surfers and brought to the shore, but could not be saved and died at the scene.
Originally published as Hundreds of sharks spotted at popular Australian beach
