Dual shark sightings don’t deter Auckland beach fans
SURFERS and swimmers at a popular Auckland beach closed twice over shark sightings appeared undeterred by the alerts, as lifeguards continue to monitor the area.
About 30-40 people were enjoying the water at Orewa Beach, north Auckland, yesterday morning, with several dog walkers also unconcerned enough to let their dogs swim.
The beach was shut on Christmas Day after reports of a 2-metre-long shark 500m offshore, and on Friday after the police helicopter spotted a 2-3m-long beast lurking around 200-300m out, with another further out.
Paddleboarder Karl Gaensicke, who visits the beach two to three times a week, said he was not put off by the sightings.
Yesterday, he and some friends spent about two and a half hours paddleboarding from the surf club to the estuary and back again.
He often saw juvenile sharks, and believed there were more around this time of year due to there being more bait fish around, such as kingfish and snapper.
He wasn’t put off by the sharks given most were juvenile, and said they were likely ‘‘more scared of us than we are them’’.
‘‘At the end of the day, there aren’t a lot of shark attacks in
New Zealand. You have a better chance of getting killed in a crash on the way to work,’’ he said.
However, Gaensicke believed Surf Life Savers made the right call to evacuate the water after the sightings.
There were probably more sharks around than most people realised, he said. ‘‘Just because you don’t see them doesn’t mean they aren’t there.’’
Surf Live Saving northern duty manager Ben Julian said lifeguards evaluate each shark sighting, which would include considering the size of the shark, its proximity to swimmers and the risk it posed, when considering whether to shut the beach.
‘‘We’re going into their home, we want to make sure we aren’t being invasive,’’ Julian said.
If it was established the shark posed a threat to swimmers, lifeguards would close the flagged swimming area and ask people to leave the water.
Lifeguards had no authority to force people to exit the water but they would give them all the information they could to make their own decision, Julian said.
‘‘They’re continuing to swim at their own risk.’’
He recommended beachgoers check Auckland Council’s Safe Swim website before going into the sea and said anyone who saw people in trouble could phone 111 and ask for police, as they had a direct line to lifeguards.
‘We’re going into their home, we want to make sure we aren’t being invasive. ’ BEN JULIAN