NEWCASTLE City Lifeguards have reopened most of the area’s beaches to swimmers and marine craft this afternoon following a series of confirmed shark sightings.
Beaches including Nobbys, Newcastle, Bar Beach, Dixon Park, and Merewether were all closed just after lunchtime and only Stockton remained open.
Nobbys and Merewether were already closed because of rough surf conditions but lifeguards updated the nature of the closures to include all marine craft, not just swimmers, following the sightings.
The first shark was sighted by surfers off Newcastle beach about 1.15pm and the shark alarm sounded.
Newcastle City Council aquatic services co-ordinator Peter Withers said a lifeguard on a jetski from Nobbys went to investigate and sighted five small hammerhead sharks measuring 1 to 1.5 metres in length.
Lifeguards also became aware of schools of baitfish off the Merewether to Bar Beach stretch and closed all beaches up to Nobbys as a precaution, he said.
By the time the jetski reached Merewether another hammerhead shark had been sighted.
‘‘We went and informed all the board riders because they do not always get out when the shark alarm sounds,’’ he said.
‘‘But there’s been a bit of a better response recently.’’
Lifeguards opened the beaches, excluding Nobbys and Merewether, at 3.30pm but have continued patrols.
Email a friend