beach - 2026-06-14

Northern Beaches on Alert After Spate of Shark Attacks Hits Sydney Coastline

An 11-year-old's board was bitten at Dee Why, a surfer lost a leg at Manly, and a woman was critically injured at Coogee — prompting renewed calls for expanded shark monitoring across the region.

The waters off Sydney's Northern Beaches have become the focus of intense community concern after a series of shark encounters in quick succession left residents questioning whether they are safe to swim, surf, or paddle in their local ocean.

The waters off Sydney's Northern Beaches have become the focus of intense community concern after a series of shark encounters in quick succession left residents questioning whether they are safe to swim, surf, or paddle in their local ocean. The most recent incident to directly affect the Northern Beaches occurred at Dee Why Beach, where an 11-year-old surfer had his board bitten by a shark. The young surfer was uninjured, but the incident closed the beach and sent shockwaves through the local surfing community. Just hours later, 27-year-old Andre de Ruyter was attacked near Manly Beach and suffered injuries so severe that his lower leg was amputated. De Ruyter, who has since been described as recovering well, became one of the most high-profile shark attack victims in the region's recent history. Those two incidents on the Northern Beaches came as part of a broader surge in shark activity across Sydney's coastline. On Saturday morning, a 35-year-old woman was critically injured at Coogee Beach in the city's eastern suburbs after being bitten by a shark estimated at three to four metres while swimming between the flags. She was pulled from the water by lifeguards and members of...