Alarming: Rising shark attacks force Australia to close beaches

Australian marine authorities took prompt action to close dozens of beaches after a series of continued shark attacks.

The decision to close beaches was announced on Tuesday January 20,2026 after four shark attacks reported in two days.

"If you're thinking about going for a swim, think of going to a local pool because at this stage, we're advising that beaches are unsafe," Steven Pearce, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving New South Wales said.

On Monday evening, emergency services were called to a beach in Sydney's Manly after reports a surfer in his 20s had been bitten by a shark.Eyewitness said another surfer had kept the man alive using his board's leg rope as a makeshift tourniquet to stem the bleeding.

Also on Monday, a 10-year-old boy escaped unharmed after a shark knocked him off his surfboard and bit a chunk out of it, while a day earlier, another boy was left in critical condition after being bitten at a city beach.

Similar incidents were also reported in a single day.

As the species thrives in brackish water, shark attacks follow days of heavy rain that washed into the harbor and nearby beaches, creating ideal conditions for the bull sharks suspected to be behind some of the attack reports, say marine experts.

All beaches in the Northern Beaches, a council area straddling Sydney's northern coastline, will remain closed until further notice, police said.

Additionally, the closures came in the middle of the Southern Hemisphere summer, when beaches across Australia are normally packed with locals and tourists.