Marine rescue takes injured shark found on Manly beach to Fairy Bower pool

AMAZED onlookers were shocked today when an injured shark — thought to be a Great White — washed up on a popular Manly beach.

AMAZED onlookers gathered to see an injured great white shark wash up on a popular Manly beach today.

The animal washed up at South Steyne mid morning and was taken to nearby Fairy Bower pool.

Crowds gathered to watch the shark at iconic Fairy Bower pool. Picture: Adam Yip

Lifeguards on jet skis kept watch over the marine animal before marine rescue arrived to bring it to shore using a stretcher.

Rob Townsend, life sciences manager at Manly Sealife Sanctuary, was in charge at the scene, along with six members of staff.

“We got a call that a shark, which we originally thought was a mako, was washed up on the beach, so we sent some people to have a look,” Mr Townsend said.

 MORE: Shocking footage shows the moment a shark clamps on to swimmer’s stomach

The shark washed up on the beach mid morning on Monday. Picture: Dan Korocz

The shark at South Steyne. Picture: Dan Korocz

“The immediate course of action was to see if it was strong enough to swim away. A couple of attempts were made to put it back in the ocean but it kept washing up on the beach. Apparently it washed up four or five times.

“Given the proximity of the pool we though it was a good place to leave it in the interim while we work out what to do.

“Obviously a shark of this size and species, it’s not something we can immediately deal with without a bit of preparation time, to see what we’re dealing with.

A rescued Great White shark does laps of Fairy Bower pool after it washed up on the shore. Picture: Adam Yip

Staff from the Manly Sealife Santuary stepped in to monitor the shark. Picture: Adam Yip/ Manly Daily

“Having put it in the pool, we’ve realised it’s not a mako, it’s a juvenile white shark, so being a threatened species there’s a whole lot more bureaucracy and paperwork to make sure we’re doing everything by the book.”

By the afternoon, around 200 onlookers had gathered at the scene and daredevil spectators were seen brazenly jumping in to the pool for a once-in-a-lifetime chance to swim with the ocean predator.

Onlookers watch the ocean predator. Picture: Adam Yip/ Manly Daily

The shark did not display any signs of aggression and was gliding back and forth in the water, occasionally bumping in to the wall.

Spectator Kyle Goodman from Seaforth, who has just got back from the Bahamas where he was doing shark research, said the sight wasn’t too peculiar for him — but was “extremely peculiar” for the northern beaches.

“I got a text from my sister and I cried bulls*t, but I had to come down and check she was right.

Shark in #Manly bower pool right now. She just washed up on Manly beach. Beautiful to see such a gorgeous animal pic.twitter.com/T51gVsAZMq

— Alex Martiniuk (@AlexMartiniuk) 11 September 2017

“This is the only shark, apart from a whaler or a Port Jackson or a wobbegong I’ve seen in this area and I’ve been diving here for three years.”

Amazed onlookers took to social media to post photos. Alex Martiniuk wrote on Twitter, ‘Shark in #Manly bower pool right now. She washed up on Manly beach. Beautiful to see such a gorgeous animal.’

Originally published as Marine rescue takes injured shark found on Manly beach to Fairy Bower pool