Torrential rains in Australia lead to shark warnings at Sydney beaches

Nutrients from land run into waterways and attract fish, which in turn attract sharks, officials say

Experts have warned that there might be an increased risk of shark attacks at the beaches after a number of sightings were reported as torrential rains lashed parts of Australia.

Local authorities have already reported a number of shark sightings in Sydney beaches in recent days.

The Northern Beaches Council on Tuesday issued an alert after a three-metre-long shark was spotted off Manly Beach. A statement from the council said: “All swimmers and surfers are urged to stay out of the water.”

However, a spokesperson for the council added that there had been no further sightings since then.

“Run-off and nutrients from the land run into our waterways and can attract fish and other animals to feed – this can then attract sharks,” a spokesperson for the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries said.

“Reduced water visibility can make conditions ideal for ambush predators, like sharks, to hunt in. Our recommendation is to avoid the water during these conditions,” the department said.

“Council lifeguards are currently patrolling the area with rescue crafts in the water and with the support of Surf Life Saving NSW drone surveillance,” it added.

Beaches from Queenscliff to Shelly Beach are closed with appropriate signages, Manly Observer reported.

Smaller sharks have also been spotted in the harbourside of Manly Beach this week, including one estimated to be about 1.5m just off Manly Cove a few days ago.

Meanwhile, Australian influencer and self-proclaimed “shark girl” Madison Stewart also issued a warning for surfers to stay out of the ocean even as floods continued to rage through the east coast.

Ms Stewart said that extreme rainfall has changed the “normal distribution patterns of bull sharks within river systems”, causing the animals to move into near-shore beach areas.

She wrote on her Instagram: “They can’t cope with the drop in salinity in the water. River mouths also represent a food source for sharks with all runoff flowing into the ocean from upriver.”

She warned that it was a dangerous time to surf and added: “Things like fertilisers and even sewage can cause fish to feed and congregate in the river mouth area. In murky water, bull sharks thrive.”

Ms Stewart urged her followers to “please be safe”.

Meanwhile, half a million people in and around Sydney have now been asked to evacuate or prepare to flee flooded areas.

“Treacherous weather conditions” threaten the five million residents of Sydney, New South Wales’ state emergency services minister Steph Cooke had said.