Emergency services talk about a “perfect storm” that attracts sharks. Record downpours of up to 127 mm of rain a day – the most since 1988 – caused massive flows of sewage and dirty, brackish water into the ocean.
Why were Sydney's beaches closed?
What injuries did the injured suffer?
What caused the sharks to attract?
How many shark attacks are reported in Australia each year?
“This level of feces and sewage attracts small fish, and sharks follow.” — said Chris Pepin-Neff from the University of Sydney bluntly, calling bathing in the current conditions a “terrible idea.” The expert recommends not entering the ocean for at least 72 hours after heavy rain.
Three attacks in two days. This is an unprecedented situation
The bloody series began on Sunday with an attack on a 12-year-old boy who was admitted to the intensive care unit in critical condition. On Monday evening, a shark mauled the legs of a 20-year-old man on Manly Beach.
On the same day, the predator threw a 10-year-old boy off his surfboard and then bit off a part of it. The boy was not injured. Another attack occurred on Tuesday in the Mid-North Coast region, north of Sydney, where another surfer was bitten by a shark.
Sydney authorities deployed 34 smart bait lines and drones, a Northern Beaches remain closed.
Although Australia averages 20 attacks a year, of which rarely more than three are fatal, the current accumulation of events in Sydney is unique. The country still remembers the tragic seasons when the presence of predators paralyzed tourism, although statistics consistently show that treacherous currents and waves remain more dangerous than the sharks themselves.
