Overview
- Manly, Dee Why and Palm Beach in Sydney were evacuated on Monday morning after reports of sharks, with Manly reopening after 10am, while Blue Bay on the Central Coast and Elizabeth Beach on the Mid North Coast were also closed following sightings.
- The NSW government has allocated $4.2 million to expand shark surveillance, extending drone patrols to about 80 beaches seven days a week through the end of the April school holidays and adding roughly 35,000 flight hours after four attacks in 48 hours, including the death of 12-year-old Nico Antic.
- Authorities will ramp up targeted bull shark tagging in Sydney Harbour and install new listening stations to speed alerts when tagged sharks are detected.
- Surf Life Saving NSW says drones spotted 461 sharks this summer and reported seven beaches closed after 10 sharks were seen on Saturday, with semi‑autonomous, all‑weather drones to be flown across the state.
- Marine experts link the spike in interactions to heavy rain that has left waters murky and brackish, and officials urge swimmers to avoid dawn and dusk, follow closures, and use the SharkSmart app, noting drones are less effective in low light and poor visibility.