Spearfishers’ terrifying shark encounter in Forster, NSW
Footage has captured the terrifying moment a large shark glided towards unsuspecting spearfishers on the NSW mid-north coast.
Animals
Don't miss out on the headlines from Animals. Followed categories will be added to My News.
An Aussie drone operator has told of the terrifying moment a large shark glided towards unsuspecting swimmers and spearfishers at a popular NSW beach, as she watched on unable to warn them.
In footage of the close encounter, captured by a drone hovering above and shared with Channel 9, the predator can be seen gliding swiftly in shallow waters not far from shore at Forster on the NSW mid-north coast.
Two swimmers paddle in the breaking waves nearby, as the shark heads towards a group of spearfishers.
Lifeguards at the beach sounded the shark alarm and called swimmers from the water, but the three spearfishers, all dressed in black full-body wetsuits, came up close and personal with the huge animal before realising they were in danger.
The shark, which appears as large as the spearfishers themselves in the video, glides directly under the group as they tread water at the edge of the reef. Finally, one of them notices it and begins a mad rush towards shore.
One of the men loses a fin in the scramble and gamely turns back, duck-diving to retrieve it from the sea floor before making his escape.
Emily Howman, who was operating the drone, said she was terrified watching the close encounter while unable to warn the group.
“I can’t do anything from up with my drone, so I wouldn’t even warn them, there’s no audio,” she told Channel 9.
“It was abject fear that something bad would happen and all I’d be able to do was watch.”
The only shark sighting officially reported to NSW SharkSmart in the area last weekend was a great white shark that was twice detected by the Forster receiver on Sunday morning.
NSW SharkSmart tracks only the three deadliest shark species – white, tiger and bull. Species that are not considered a threat to humans are frequently spotted in Aussie waters, but are not officially monitored by the program.
One keen spearfisherman from the area told news.com.au he believed the fish could have been a grey nurse shark, a large species that is not considered dangerous to humans.
It’s estimated there are some 750 adult white sharks and 4500 juveniles swimming in Australia’s eastern waters, according to the CSIRO.
Originally published as Spearfishers’ terrifying shark encounter in Forster, NSW
Blow to Aus as new bird flu outbreak found
Just days after Australia declared it had eradicated a highly contagious strain of bird flu, an outbreak has been detected in Victoria.
Human remains found in crocodile
Human remains have been found inside a crocodile man in the search for a man missing more than a week in crocodile-infested waters.