SIX hammerhead sharks were seen off Newcastle yesterday prompting lifeguards to close the beaches from Merewether to Nobbys.
Newcastle City Lifeguards closed Nobbys, Newcastle, Bar Beach, Dixon Park, and Merewether to all swimmers and marine craft yesterday following two sightings.
Stockton remained open.
The first shark was seen by surfers off Newcastle Beach about 1.15pm. The alarm was sounded and the beach closed.
N ewcastle City Council aquatic services co-ordinator Peter Withers said lifeguards on jetskis from Nobbys went to investigate and saw five small hammerhead sharks from one metre to 1.5 metres long.
Lifeguards had also seen schools of bait fish off Merewether to Bar Beach and closed all beaches up to Nobbys, he said.
When jetskis reached Merewether lifeguards sighted another hammerhead shark.
Nobbys and Merewether were already closed because of rough surf conditions but lifeguards updated the closures to include all marine craft, not just swimmers.
‘‘We went and informed all the board riders because they do not always want to get out when the shark alarm sounds,’’ Mr Withers said.
‘‘But there’s been a bit of a better response recently.’’
Lifeguards opened the beaches, excluding Nobbys and Merewether, at 3.30pm but continued patrols.
Meanwhile footage has emerged of what appears to be a pilot whale, shark or dolphin riding the waves within metres of competitors in the ironman series in Newcastle at the weekend.
Video taken from YouTube
The footage was uploaded to website YouTube.
Ironman Series media director David Lyall said the footage was unearthed by competitor Kirsty Holmes who was rolling through news footage in slow motion to see herself on tape.
Mr Lyall said they thought it was a pilot whale and unlikely to have been a shark.
‘‘Everyone that competes at that level at some stage has been in the water when there’s been a dolphin or a whale in the surf,’’ he said.
Mr Lyall said they had a number of shark spotters on rescue boats and jet skis at the event.
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