Beware sharks in shallow waters
As summer heats up and the ocean gets warmer, Kiwi beachgoers are more likely to spot sharks in shallow waters.
Shark attacks are rare in New Zealand waters. There have only been nine fatal attacks recorded. But that doesn’t mean you won’t see one.
Marine biologist Clinton Duffy believed the shark that caused hundreds of swimmers to flee popular Matarangi Beach in the Coromandel on Saturday night was likely a bronze whaler.
After a ‘‘very large shark" was spied in the shallows, firefighters drove along the shore on a quadbike, using a loudhailer to warn holidaymakers of the sighting.
‘‘Bronze whalers are one of the most common species of shark in our waters and they can get up to three metres’ long,’’ said the Conservation Department scientist.
In terms of danger, the tiger shark posed the biggest threat, Duffy added. ‘‘They’re big and adapted to feeding on prey larger than themselves. They can be very aggressive but are rare.’’
The bronze whaler was usually harmless – unless you’re a fan of spearfishing. These sleek creatures were commonly seen moving among swimmers near the shore and only became aggressive if there was fish blood in the water.
‘‘They probably see the spearfisherman as competition for the fish they’ve been hunting; they are known to steal fish from fishermen.’’
A Kiwi spearfisherman met his demise in the 1970s when he was killed by a bronze whaler. But Duffy said it was the only fatal attack from the species documented here.
He urged swimmers to observe the golden rule that any shark over 1.8m in length was potentially dangerous. ‘‘If you can’t identify it, you should get out of the water quietly and without a fuss.’’
If a shark paid more than a passing interest in you, or changed its swimming pattern quickly, that was another sign to flee.