There have been two deadly suspected shark attacks in 2021 with the year not halfway through. The latest on Tuesday was caused by a shark believed to be 4.5m long off the NSW coast.
A woman has suffered horrific injuries to her hips, back and buttocks after being bitten by a shark during a morning swim.
She had been swimming at Merimbula, on the New South Wales south coast, with a friend at 7am on Saturday when she was attacked.
The woman, believed to be in her 60s, was swimming off the main beach, which has now been closed.
Authorities are scouring 30km of coastline, closing all nearby beaches on what would have been a packed 33C day, to search for the shark.
Woman rushed to hospital after being bitten by a SHARK during a swim at a popular beach - as experts close 30km of shoreline in hunt for the beast (pictured, the Merimbula sandbar)
The chilling Facebook post from a woman who cheated death after being viciously attacked by a shark dailymail.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from dailymail.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
He s going to go straight under you, mate.
While the paddlers did not appear to have noticed at first, they stopped in the water after clearing the flesh-eating fish - bewildered by the vicious sight.
As more Sydneysiders free-styled towards an enormous school of salmon, the shark called Newman could be seen lurking in the middle.
Pictured: Two swimmers at Bondi Beach swimming over the top of the shark, named Norman
Some people swum through the school, completely unaware the predator was drifting in the middle.
Despite the potentially dangerous situation, no one was attacked.
Viewers took to the comments section to express their shock, and possible reasons as to why the sharks didn t strike.
Australia has been declared the shark attack capital of the world, but experts say beachgoers shouldn t be concerned.
Twelve fatal shark attacks were recorded across the globe in 2020, according to a new report released by the University of Florida s Shark Attack File (ISAF).
Australia accounted for eight of those, with three people killed in Western Australia, three in Queensland and two in New South Wales.
2020 was the deadliest year for shark attacks since 2013, with 12 shark bites leading to a fatality (pictured: stock image of great white shark)
Director of the Florida Museum of Natural History s shark research program Gavin Naylor said the figures were surprising, but not alarming.