Sharks caught at Toowoon Bay

TOOWOON BAY is considered one of, if not, the ­safest beach on the Central Coast but that could be called into question after a fisherman caught several large sharks in ­recent weeks.

Daniel Kerr has caught multiple large sharks off Toowoon Bay. Picture: Facebook

TOOWOON BAY is considered one of, if not, the ­safest beach on the Central Coast but that could be called into question after a fisherman caught several large sharks in ­recent weeks.

Daniel Kerr said he has caught bull sharks and bronze whalers from the beach at night.

“There’s heaps of them,” Mr Kerr said.

Mr Kerr said he paddled out to the middle of the bay in a canoe before casting his bait and returning to shore where he battled the monsters from the safety of land.

He said he later releases them back into the water where they swim away but not before getting a photograph.

Daniel Kerr poses with sharks he caught.

Pictures: Supplied.

The revelations are sure to rattle social swimming group the “Buttercups” — known for their yellow swimming caps — who swim across Toowoon Bay daily.

“I swim there all the time and I’ve seen wobbegongs and lots of stingrays,” member Wendy McNamara said.

“When we hear a scare, everyone just swims a ­little closer to shore. Instead of 60m (from shore) I might swim 10m.”

Ms McNamara said the water has not been “ultra clear” of late, which made swimmers a bit jittery at shadows.

Daniel Kerr has caught a number of sharks off Toowoon Bay before releasing them back into the water. Picture: Supplied.

Shark victim Christine Armstrong was part of a similar social group who swam from Tathra Beach to Tathra Wharf on the NSW far south coast when she was killed in April, 2014.

About 200m into the swim the 63-year-old told the group, including her husband of 44 years Rob, she was not feeling well and turned back.

Her cap and goggles were later found.

Tathra shark victim Christine Armstrong and her husband Rob. Picture: Supplied

Police divers searching for remains of Christine Armstrong, 63, who was taken by a shark. Picture: Sam Mooy

Mr Kerr’s fishing ­exploits come after a whopping 341kg bull shark was caught off Blacksmiths Beach near the mouth of Swansea Channel at the weekend.

The post went viral after it was shared by Offshore Fishing NSW, sparking a social media storm between those who believed the shark should have been left alone and anglers who defended the catch.

“Unless that shark left his home and came knocking at your door, he should still be alive and swimming. RIP,” posted Jaclyn Jerome.

Lake Macquarie fisherman Geoffery McEwan with the 314kg bull shark.