One of Sydney's most iconic beaches was evacuated after a group of 15 hammerhead sharks were spotted swimming in the 'safe zone'.
Lifeguards sounded the shark alarm on Palm Beach, the filming sight of Australian TV classic Home and Away, at about 1pm on Tuesday after drones spotted the predators from above.
The beach was swiftly closed and swimmers were urged to leave the water while lifeguards patrolled on jet skis to ensure no one was injured.
It is understood up to 15 sharks were spotted.
Palm Beach (above) was closed on Tuesday after a group of 15 hammerhead sharks was spotted in the water
Palm Beach (above) is one of Sydney's best-known beaches and is the filming location of popular Aussie TV show, Home and Away
RELATED ARTICLES
Previous 1 Next
Criminal charges possible over SeaWorld helicopter disaster... 
Angry resident complains about a hundred campers descending... Share this article
ShareDrones are able to easily identify hammerhead sharks due to their unique shape.
Australian Marine Conservation Society claims there has never been a fatal hammerhead shark attack in Australian waters.
Flags indicating safe swim zones were removed from Palm Beach for about an hour after the sighting to prevent more people from entering the surf.
The beach was reopened once the sharks had moved from the area.
Palm Beach has been home to several shark sightings with one shark spotted just one week ago.
There are three species of hammerhead shark found in NSW - the scalloped hammerhead, smooth hammerhead and the great hammerhead - however hammerheads are generally considered to be non-aggressive.
Hammerhead sharks (above) are easily identified by their unique shape and are generally known for being non-aggressive
Tuesday's incident has reignited debate over whether nets are keeping enough sharks from Sydney's beaches to justify the damage they cause to other species.
The Northern Beaches Council voted to remove shark nets from its shorelines in April 2021 after hearing how several other species become entangled in them.
However, its vote was quickly overlooked after the NSW Department of Primary Industries tripled its funding for a shark management program in September 2021, allocating more than $21million.
'The NSW Government will now be operating the world's largest shark management program aiming to get the balance right, between keeping swimmers and surfers safe, and protecting our marine life' NSW Agriculture Minister Adam Marshall said at the time.
'We will also continue the deployment of shark nets as part of the Shark Meshing Program in the Greater Sydney Region while we measure the success of the expanded technology-led solutions.'
澳洲中文论坛热点
- 悉尼部份城铁将封闭一年，华人区受影响！只能乘巴士（组图）
- 据《逐日电讯报》报导，从明年年中开始，因为从Bankstown和Sydenham的城铁将因Metro South West革新名目而
- 联邦政客们具有多少房产？
- 据本月早些时分报导，绿党副首领、参议员Mehreen Faruqi已获准在Port Macquarie联系其房产并建造三栋投资联