Key Highlights
- The attacks follow days of heavy rains, which NSW Superintendent Joseph McNulty had earlier said may have created a "perform storm environment" for shark attacks.
- Rain flushes nutrients into the water, which can draw sharks closer to shore. The attack on Tuesday took place near the Point Plomer campground, about 450km (279mi) north of Sydney. Steve Pearce, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving NSW, said the surfer was "very fortunate to not have sustained any serious injuries", ABC reported.
- "We really strongly advocate that nobody swim or surf near river mouths because it's obviously an area where sharks congregate," Pearce said.
- "If it's dirty water I'd think twice about going in there."A young surfer had a similarly lucky escape at Dee Why Beach in Sydney on Monday, but a shark attack at nearby Manly hours later left a 27-year-old with "life-changing" injuries.
- On Sunday, a 12-year-old boy was also critically injured when bitten at a popular Sydney Harbour beach. Authorities believe bull sharks were involved in several of the recent attacks. Bull sharks, which can be found in both fresh water and salt water, are "one of the few sharks that are potentially dangerous to people", the Australian Museum says.
