Shark spotted swimming in knee-deep water near children
Beachgoer Jess Sheaffe said the shark seemed completely 'unfazed' by the swimmers nearby.
Swimmers got much more than they bargained for last week after a shark was spotted in knee-deep water completely "unfazed" by the droves of intrigued beachgoers nearby.
Jess Sheaffe was with her partner at Limeburners Creek National Park on the NSW Mid North Coast when she spotted the shark at the beach, with swimmers initially fearful until they realised it was a grey nurse shark — a species which pose no threat to humans.
"He was right in the shallow. People had their kids in there, there were babies, there were kids learning to surf," Sheaffe told Yahoo News. "We saw people pointing and people jumped before I thought, 'hang on, he's fine'."
Shark visits beach daily
Sheaffe watched in awe as the shark swam in among the children, admitting she has never seen a shark this close before.
"I've never seen anything this close. To be in knee-deep water and have a shark literally go under the same wave as people and to not be bothered, it's just beyond. It was very cool," she said.
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After speaking with locals she learned that the shark is a local celebrity lovingly named Jeff who frequently visits the same beach, with Yahoo News choosing not to disclose the specific location.
"We've been camping there for three years. And this was the first time that we had seen him. But I think maybe we just weren't on the beach at the right time... apparently he comes in at the same time every day," she said.
Grey nurse sharks critically endangered in NSW
The population of grey nurse sharks have deteriorated in NSW for several years now and the latest population record near Seal Rocks on the Mid North Coast, carried out by ecologist Dr Keith Bishop, noted only three in that area.
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