Shark in shallows gives Papamoa beachgoers an unwelcome thrill
Beachgoers got a free shark show yesterday, spotting the predator cruising and cavorting close to Papamoa in the Bay of Plenty.
Gerardo Aguilera, visiting family in the neighbourhood with his wife, Kate Dewar, was among a group who saw the shark in shallow water.
“It was extremely close to shore,” Mr Aguilera said last night. He thought the creature was a juvenile, but believed it was still “a couple of metres” long.
“It seemed like a baby one. It didn’t seem that big, but obviously big enough to scare anyone out in the water. It just seemed to be swimming back and forth.”
Mr Aguilera said the shark kept swimming in the area for at least 15 to 20 minutes.
It was the first time he’d seen a shark at Papamoa. Onlookers were thrilled, and not a little scared, to see the shark so close to the popular beach, Mr Aguilera said. “Obviously it’s exciting, but it’s pretty shocking. In fact, Kate wanted to go in for a swim and I was just like
Hnzherald.co.nz To see more, go to
bit.ly/1Zv1hgi no, I’m definitely not going in. And actually after that, once it went away, we stayed for like half an hour, 45 minutes, and there was no one going back into the water.”
Mr Aguilera said he’d rather not see the shark again. “We still want to go for a swim without having to check constantly if there’s a fin around.”
Although the fin piercing the sea’s surface and reports of swimmers running for safety may spark memories of the movie Jaws, shark attacks in New Zealand are rare.
According to Te Ara, the online Encyclopedia of New Zealand, there has never been a shark attack at Papamoa, or anywhere in the western Bay of Plenty.
The Shark Attack Data website said New Zealand had recorded only 24 fatal shark attacks since 1850.
Local fishermen previously told the Herald bronze whalers were the most common sharks hanging around Papamoa, but last week a blue shark was caught there.
Land Based Fishing organiser Jackson Brown said it was spotted just off the beach. He earlier said he’d seen six bronze whalers in one day.