Ten quick shark facts you need to know this summer

DOES punching a shark in the nose stop an attack and do they bite humans on purpose? With NSW beaches closed for nine days, this is essential reading.

IT’S the only worry in an otherwise perfect summer.

As New South Wales residents swelter through day-after-day of sunshine, beaches have been plagued by persistent shark sightings up and down the coast.

Newcastle beaches have been closed for an unprecedented nine days due to a five metre great white, nicknamed Bruce, and another 3.5 metre shark that attacked a dolphin, cruising about in the area. Meanwhile 17-year-old Sam Smith suffered a bite to his hand after he tried to film the shark while spearfishing.

The attack didn’t stop hundreds of competitors at the NSW Country Surf Lifesaving Championships at the other end of the beach. However further north, swimmers and surfers have been warned to stay out of the water while the harks are in “hunting mode” said a spokeswoman for Newcastle Council.

A large hammerhead shark prowls along Stockton Beach 100 metres off the shore. Picture by Peter Lorimer.

The sightings haven’t deterred everyone. Pictured, surfers ignore a sign at Bar Beach in Newcastle.

It’s thought the warmer weather and increased marine life are possible reasons for the prolonged presence. CSIRO shark expert Barry Bruce said the creatures were common along the NSW coastline but only get noticed when they stop near a heavily populated area, like Newcastle.

So what should you do if you encounter one and how many have we really seen? Here are 10 shark facts you need to know before jumping in this summer:

• Punching a shark in the nose or poking its eyes can help fend it off during an attack. Most sharks don’t want to work hard for their food.

• Sharks whip their prey around in order to break off flesh, so if bitten, latch on to the shark if you want to save your limb.

• Great whites are the most notorious man-eaters. But they do not like the taste of humans, often biting then releasing attack victims.

A 3.5 metre shark goes in for the kill on a dolphin just off Newcastle's Burwood Beach. Picture by Peter Lorimer

• Tiger, great white and bull sharks are responsible for the most attacks on humans. They hunt human-sized prey and are capable of inflicting fatal bites.

• While many people consider sharks to be the world’s deadliest animal, you are more likely to be killed by wasps, bees or dogs.

• Sharks replace their teeth many times. Sharks don’t lose teeth from cavities, but their teeth get stuck in their prey.

• When it’s almost time to give birth, a female shark will lose her appetite to ensure she won’t eat her pups.

• While many of us have learnt to fear sharks, they should fear us. Humans kill 73 million sharks a year.

• More than 80 per cent of people who are bitten by sharks live to tell the tale.

• Great whites eat 11 tonnes of food a year, while humans eat about half a tonne.

Secluded Jones's Beach at Bannister Head north of Mollymook on the NSW South Coast where 17-year-old Sam Smith was bitten by a shark.

SHARK ATTACKS AND SIGHTINGS IN THE PAST FOUR MONTHS:

JANUARY 2015

• Mollymook, NSW — A 17-year-old boy is treated in hospital after being bitten on the hand

• Newcastle, NSW — A Five-metre great white is spotted numerous times, closing beaches for a record seven consecutive days

• Bondi, NSW — Sharks are sighted twice in four days, prompting lifeguards to temporarily close Sydney’s most famous beach

DECEMBER 2014

• Albany, WA — Jay Muscat, 17, is killed by a great white while spearfishing at Cheynes Beach

• Perth, WA — A catch-and-kill order is issued for a white pointer spotted over two weeks near popular Warnbro Beach, which was closed for days

• Adelaide, SA — A shark is sighted at Glenelg Beach, forcing swimmers out of the water

• Port Douglas, Qld — Daniel Smith, 18, is mauled and killed in front of mates while spearfishing at Rudder Reef

• Perth, WA — Cameron Pearman, 13, is bitten by a two-metre shark while surfing at Port Bouvard, suffering minor leg injuries

NOVEMBER 2015

• Bondi, NSW — Two great white sharks are discovered dead in nets within a week

OCTOBER 2014

• Port Macquarie, NSW — Competitive surfer Ryan Hunt, 20, is bitten on the foot by a shark at Wallabi Point. He kicks it away

(Source: AAP/The Discovery Channel).