white shark detected near Manly Beach days after fatal shark attack
People have been ordered out of the water after the great white shark was detected days after an experienced surfer was killed in an attack.
A tagged great white shark has been detected off Manly Beach, days after an experienced surfer was fatally attacked by a shark in Dee Why.
Surfers and swimmers were ordered out of the water at Manly Beach on Monday morning after the alarm was sounded.
“Everyone out of the water. You are reminded there has been a shark sighting earlier,” surf life savers said in a statement shortly before noon, per The Daily Telegraph.
A sign at the beach read “beach closed, shark sighting”.
The Northern Beaches Council confirmed the closure of Manly Beach on its website, citing a “notification by NSW government Shark Smart app that a tagged shark in the vicinity”.
It comes days after experienced surfer, Mercury Psillakis, 57, was killed during a shark attack near Dee Why, about 6.5km from Manly Beach.
Mr Psillakis suffered critical injuries after he was bitten by a large great white shark at Long Reef Beach, about 300m north of the Long Reef Surf Life Saving Club, shortly before 10am on Saturday.
The experienced surfer was brought back to the shore by a group of surfers, but he could not be saved.
Northern Beaches commander Superintendent John Duncan told reporters that Mr Psillakis “disappeared under the water with the shark”.
“When they got him back, he’d lost a lot of blood,” Superintendent Duncan said.
A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (DPIRD) spokesman said biologists assessed the photographs of Mr Psillakis’ surfboard and determined the attack was caused by a great white shark that was about 3.4-3.6m long.
“The shark net at Dee Why is situated approximately 500 metres out from the Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club,” they told NewsWire.
“The nets are 150m long by 6m deep and are set in 10-12m of water.”
Shark nets are used to intercept sharks as they move through the water, disrupting their path and moving them away from beachgoergs.
However, the shark nets cannot deter sharks entirely, the DPIRD website warns.
Dee Why and Long Reef beaches remain closed by the council.
Following the fatal attack, two extra shark-management-alert-in-realtime (SMART) drumlines were been deployed between Dee Why and Long Reef on Saturday, Sunday and Monday.
This is in addition to the three permanent SMART drumlines in Dee Why.
SMART drumlines feature an anchor, two buoys and a satellite-linked GPS communications unit, which is attached to a baited hook.
When a shark bites the bait, a triggering magnet alerts boat crew of a nearby animal, which is then tagged and relocated 1km offshore.
“There is a shark net in place off Dee Why Beach,” the DPIRD spokesman told NewsWire.
They said drones had also been deployed in the area by surf lifesavers in addition to helicopter surveillance.
The DPIRD spokesman that warned shark sightings may be more common in the area due to several reasons, including the weather.
“Sharks are present in NSW waters all year round,” they said.
“Sharks can be more prevalent in an area due to a number of factors including weather and ocean conditions as well as the availability of food in the area.
“Beachgoers are advised to follow the NSW SharkSmart (X) feed or download the SharkSmart app for the latest information.”
Originally published as white shark detected near Manly Beach days after fatal shark attack
