'Just Go To Pool': Australian Authorities To Beachgoers After 4 Shark Attacks Reported In 48 Hours

Authorities in New South Wales, Australia, have advised beachgoers to 'just go to a pool' after four shark attacks were reported in the last 48 hours. On Tuesday (Jan 20), a surfer was taken to the hospital after being bitten by a shark on the Mid North Coast, where he sustained a wound to his chest. The attack took place near the Point Plomer campground, less than 20km north of Port Macquarie.

According to Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steven Pearce, a 39-year-old surfer escaped serious injury after a shark bit his board, leaving him with only minor cuts and grazes. Authorities believe bull sharks were responsible for this and other recent attacks.

"If anyone's thinking of heading into the surf this morning, anywhere along the northern beaches, think again," Pearce said.

"We have such poor water quality that's conducive to bull shark activity. We have two people critically injured in hospital this morning. Just go to a local pool, because at this stage, we're advising that the beaches are unsafe."

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On Monday (Jan 19), a surfer at Dee Why Beach in Sydney had a similar lucky reprieve, but a 27-year-old was left with "life-changing" injuries near Manly. Meanwhile, on Sunday (Jan 18), a 12-year-old boy was also critically injured when bitten at a popular Sydney Harbour beach.

Tuesday's incident comes in the backdrop of days of heavy rains, which may have created the perfect conditions for shark attacks. Rain flushes nutrients into the water, which can draw sharks closer to shore.

"Bull sharks are one of the few species of sharks and rays that can tolerate brackish and even freshwater for extended periods, which means they are especially comfortable moving in and out of river mouths and turbid coastal waters after heavy rain," Jodie Rummer, a professor of marine biology at James Cook University, was quoted as saying by The Guardian.

Last November, a woman was killed and a man was seriously injured after being attacked by a bull shark on a remote beach, also on the NSW Mid North Coast.