Shark attack leads to closure of Sutherland Shire beaches across Sydney

New South Wales authorities ordered the closure for 24 hours of beaches across Sutherland Shire in Sydney. The closure was because of a shark attack on a male surfer on Easter Monday.

The surfer, identified only as Roie, was knocked off his board at about 11 am on Monday at North Cronulla. The shark threw him into the water which dented the surfer’s board, reports Daily Telegraph.

Jetskis were sent to scare the shark away, while lifesavers sounded the alarm. Roie recalls, “I felt something start pulling on my leg rope and I swung back around and saw it was under my legs … Then it pulled me off the board,” quotes Seven News.

Fortunately, Roie survived the attempt and was seen after the attack walking away from the waters stunned, but unscathed, notes Mark Aprilovic, president of the Cronulla Surf School.

Although the initial order was 24 hours closure, the beaches across Sutherland Shire would likely remain shuttered for another 24 hours through Wednesday due to surf conditions, says Surf Life Saving NSW, reports 9 News.

The surf conditions is preventing lifesavers from checking the area further for sharks so they could reopen the beaches. But the water is a bit murky which makes it difficult to see if there are sharks in the vicinity, according to the group’s spokesman.