‘Close encounter’: Sydney surfer escapes after morning shark attack at Maroubra

Another shark attack has been reported at a popular Sydney beach just three weeks after a man was killed.

A Sydney council has stressed that “‘now is not the time” to be in the water after a lucky surfer emerged unscathed from an early morning shark encounter.

Randwick mayor Dylan Parker on Tuesday morning said Maroubra Beach lifeguards reported a shark attack at 7.50am, just around the corner from last month’s attack that claimed the life of a British expat at Little Bay.

The surfer involved in Tuesday morning’s incident was uninjured, but a photo shows large teeth marks and dents on their board.

A close encounter with a shark this morning at 7.50am for this surfer at Maroubra Beach. Thankfully nobody was injured....

Posted by Randwick City Council on Monday, March 7, 2022

Maroubra Beach and nearby Coogee Beach had been closed at the time due to dangerous surf conditions.

A Randwick City Council spokeswoman said lifeguards on jet skis had spotted a shark during a later patrol of the region but were uncertain if it was the same animal.

The spokeswoman said the overcast conditions in Sydney –- as well as murky water from torrential rain – meant surfers faced the heightened risk of a shark attack.

“We’re just stressing that now is not the time to be in the water,” she said.

The two shark attack locations at Maroubra on Tuesday (top) and Little Bay three weeks ago (bottom).

Experts over the past week have warned swimmers to avoid swimming at beaches that have been made murky due to torrential rain.

A week ago Northern Beaches Council closed Manly Beach after a shark more than 3m long was spotted, while Surf Lifesaving NSW reported a 2.5m shark in the same region the previous morning.

The risk of shark attacks increases in turgid water as run-off from heavy rain can attract smaller fish and animals, while lower visibility in the water makes for an ideal hunting ground for “ambush” predators.

Shark attack victim Simon Nellist.

Tuesday’s attack comes just three weeks after British expat and diving instructor Simon Nellist was killed by a Great White Shark at Little Bay, which is less than 5km south of Maroubra.

Mr Nellist was the first shark attack victim in Sydney in almost 60 years.

He was swimming at Little Bay on February 16 when he was attacked and killed in front of several horrified witnesses.

SMART drumlines – technology that uses hooks to catch, tag, and relocate sharks – were set up in the wake of Mr Nellist’s death, stretching from Little Bay to Bondi Beach.