Signs warn of shark danger in Gold Coast canals ahead of busy summer season

IT’S not only beachgoers being warned about the dangers of sharks on the Gold Coast. Anyone in the city’s canals are fair game for the predators.

New warning signs are being put up to educate visitors and locals about some of the potentially dangerous creatures that live in our rivers, lakes and canals. It follows recent reports of bull sharks bumping sailing boats on Lake Orr at Varsity Lakes. Photo at Lake Orr of the new sign. Photo by Richard Gosling

FEARS of a shark attack in the Gold Coast’s canals has sparked a renewed safety campaign to protect tourists ahead of the busy summer season.

More than 40 signs warning swimmers and boat users of “potentially dangerous aquatic organisms” have been erected at waterways, lakes and canals across the city.

The first signs were installed by the council on Tuesday and the rest will be rolled out in the next week following reports of bull sharks bumping sailing boats on Varsity Lakes’ Lake Orr.

While there has not been a spike in shark attacks, Gold Coast Sailing Club Commodore Chris Ruston said the muddy water in city canals had brought sharks to the area, which was used by recreational boaties.

Mr Ruston, who has worked on the city’s canals for more than nine years, urged tourists and people unfamiliar with the waterways to be careful.

Gold Coast Sailing Club Commodore Chris Ruston says muddy water in canals has brought bull sharks to the are. Picture: Richard Gosling

“We are down here five days a week conducting sailing lessons and it is a beautiful area but unfortunately the water is not terribly clear and there are reportedly bull sharks,” he said.

“I have never seen a large shark myself but police reports shown to us indicate they have been, which is scary.

“People need to be careful out there on the water because you can even be standing in knee-deep water and find yourself susceptible to a small shark giving you a nip on the leg.

“These signs will hopefully make people aware.”

The signs have been installed by the Gold Coast City Council and Gold Coast Waterways Authority.

It comes six months after 29-year-old Surfers Paradise woman Bianca Freeman was attacked by a bull shark on the banks of the Nerang River.

While bull sharks traditionally live in saltwater environments, females give birth in freshwater areas, which include Varsity Lakes.

Waterways boss Hal Morris says the signs have been put up to deter people from swimming in the canals. Picture: Richard Gosling

Waterways Authority boss Hal Morris said the signs were designed to deter tourists from swimming in the canals.

“We have certainly had concerned residents who have been bumped by sharks in these lakes and are concerned about it,” he said.

There were two shark-related deaths in Gold Coast canals in late 2002 and early 2003 including 23-year-old Beau Martin and 84-year-old grandfather Bob Purcell.