Family's 'exciting' encounter with two-metre shark in popular Aussie lake
Ian Murphy said he had been to the lake numerous times but had never seen a shark before.
A man has captured the incredible moment he, his wife and their grandchildren spotted a “two-metre-long” shark swimming in a popular Aussie lake.
Ian couldn’t hide his excitement after seeing a dorsal fin emerge from the water at Lake Macquarie on the NSW coast, north of Sydney, as the family enjoyed their Sunday morning on a boat.
Footage captured by the UK man — who said he has been living in the area for four years — shows the shark chucking laps at great speed in the still water, with its fin gliding along the top.
“Gives a whole new meaning to Baby Shark,” he can be heard saying, referencing the popular children’s songs which one of the children then begins to sing. Curious, Ian turns on the boat’s engine to get a closer look at the animal.
“You can see its fin sticking out of the water. Wow,” he says, as the children declare they are “scared of sharks”. “You’re as safe as houses,” their grandpa assures before his wife declares it is “quite big”.
“It’s just a little one sweetheart,” she then tells one of the kids.
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Aussies love shark video commentary
Ian posted video of the incredible encounter, which he says took place between Coal Point and Rathmines, on a local community Facebook page over the weekend.
“Forgive my excitement!” he captioned the footage. “Been on the lake 60 plus times, seen four dolphins in that time but never a shark. I would imagine local seasoned veterans have seen it all… but this was awesome for me, my wife and the two grandchildren.”
Numerous locals said they “loved the excited commentary” and thanked Ian for sharing the clip. One person said the shark was “probably chasing bait fish as it’s travelling very quickly”.
“Usually sharks around. Taken photos of Hammerhead before. The bull sharks were too quick for me though and wouldn't play nice when I had camera pointed,” another wrote.
What not to do when you see a shark
Last week Aussie beachgoers were confronted by a shark just metres from the shoreline at Coffs Harbour’s Corindi Beach.
While it appeared no one was in the water at the time, a marine biologist went viral earlier this month for breaking down what you should and shouldn’t do if you do encounter a shark.
Andriana Frangola warned people to “never splash and run away” if they spot a shark in the water.
“This makes you look like an injured prey item and will cause the shark to follow and chase you, hoping you are an easy food source,” she said on TikTok. Frangola said a person should stand tall and try to make eye contact with the shark.
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