Wave of Shark Incidents Across Australia: 2025-2026

A series of shark attacks across multiple Australian states has resulted in fatalities, critical injuries, and widespread beach closures, prompting significant government investment in drone surveillance and reigniting debate over lethal shark control measures.

Incident Reports

New South Wales

A 35-year-old woman, Leah Stewart, was attacked by a suspected great white shark approximately 30 meters offshore at Coogee Beach in Sydney's east around 11:00 AM. Stewart sustained severe injuries to her left leg and arms, resulting in the amputation of one arm and multiple surgeries. She was placed in an induced coma and later briefly regained consciousness, speaking to family members. Her condition was reported as critical but stable, later improving out of critical condition.

Off-duty lifeguard and paddleboard world champion Charlie Verco, 24, rescued Stewart by towing her to shore on his paddleboard after hearing screams. Lifeguards and an off-duty doctor provided first aid, including tourniquets. Coogee Beach and neighboring beaches in the Randwick Council area were closed for at least 48 hours. A shark-bite trauma kit, installed at the beach in March 2024, was used for the first time during the response.

A great white shark was sighted at Bondi Beach on Wednesday morning, detected by a drone operated by Drone Shark App. Lifeguards cleared the water. This was the second sighting in two days, with another great white shark seen at the northern end of the beach the previous day. Sydney beaches including Bondi, Bronte, and Tamarama were closed for a third consecutive day on June 25 following a white shark sighting.

A 12-year-old boy, Nico Antic, was bitten on the leg by a suspected bull shark while jumping off rocks near Shark Beach at Nielsen Park in Vaucluse. He sustained critical injuries and later died in hospital. The incident led to the closure of Shark Beach.

A 27-year-old man was bitten on the leg by a shark while surfing at North Steyne Beach in Manly, sustaining critical, life-changing injuries. An 11-year-old surfer's board was bitten by a suspected shark at Dee Why Beach; the surfer was uninjured. These incidents, along with the Vaucluse attack, occurred within a 48-hour period. All beaches in Sydney's Northern Beaches area were temporarily closed.

A 39-year-old surfer, Paul Zvirzdinas, sustained minor cuts after a shark bit his surfboard at Point Plomer Beach near Crescent Head. He was transported to Kempsey District Hospital and later discharged. Local beaches were closed.

Mercury Psillakis died in a white shark attack off Long Reef.

Western Australia

A 38-year-old man, Steven Mattaboni, was fatally bitten by a suspected 4-5 meter great white shark while spearfishing off Rottnest Island. Paramedics were unable to revive him.

A 35-year-old man was fatally bitten by a suspected 4.5-meter shark while spearfishing with family near Michaelmas Island, Albany. He could not be revived by paramedics. This was the third fatal shark attack in Australia in four weeks.

Queensland

A 39-year-old man, Michael Jensz, from Cairns died after being attacked by a shark while spearfishing at Kennedy Shoal in the Great Barrier Reef. He sustained a critical head injury. The species of shark was not confirmed, but bull sharks were reported in the area.

Shark Activity and Beach Closures

A 25-tonne sperm whale carcass found on rocks at Era Beach was towed 30 kilometers south. Following its removal, seven sharks were spotted by drone, leading to evacuations at Woonona and East Corrimal beaches.

Multiple beaches in the Royal National Park, including Garie, Wattamolla, Era, and Burning Palms, were closed due to increased shark activity after the whale carcass was discovered. Surf Life Saving NSW reported significant numbers of sharks visible, including larger white and bull sharks.

Following the Coogee Beach attack, Surflife Saving NSW obtained an urgent exemption from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to fly drones for shark surveillance, previously restricted due to proximity to Sydney Airport.

Government and Policy Response

New South Wales

Premier Chris Minns announced an additional AUD 34 million for drone surveillance, bringing total investment in the Shark Mitigation Program to AUD 120 million over two years. The drone program will be expanded to approximately 70 beaches, including all 38 ocean beaches in Sydney from Palm Beach to Cronulla, operating year-round from dawn to dusk.

Surf Life Saving NSW will operate the drones, conducting an estimated 500,000 flights per year. The program will trial two new artificial intelligence shark detection systems over summer. Two SharkSmart listening stations will be installed in Sydney Harbour to alert swimmers to tagged sharks.

Premier Minns ruled out culling great white sharks, which are a protected species. He stated the government is considering a cull of bull sharks, pending a population count ("headcount") conducted in warmer months. Options include increasing the legal catch limit. Following the Coogee Beach attack, drumlines were deployed, two were added to existing ones. Jet skis and drones were used to monitor beaches. The government is working with CASA to make the temporary drone exemption for Coogee Beach permanent.

Expert Opinions on Shark Culling and Mitigation

Several experts stated that shark culling is not an effective method for reducing the risk of attacks, citing factors such as shark migration and the potential for baited lines to attract sharks.

A 2019 Administrative Appeals Tribunal ruling found that lethal components of Queensland's shark control program did not reduce unprovoked shark interactions within the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park. Experts supported non-lethal measures such as drone surveillance, tagging programs, and personal deterrent devices. A study recommended at least 10 more years of monitoring to determine the effectiveness of non-lethal SMART drumlines and drones. Professor Charlie Huveneers stated that the first line of defense is reducing the overlap between sharks and people via drones, listening stations, and Smart drumlines.

Calls for More Aggressive Measures

Mike Psillakis, brother of Mercury Psillakis who died in a 2025 attack, called for lethal shark control measures in NSW, citing Reunion Island's approach. Reunion Island experienced no attacks between 2019 and 2026 after implementing a program that kills adult bull and tiger sharks using SMART drumlines. Former Prime Minister Tony Abbott called for a shark cull and a commercial shark fishery following the Coogee Beach attack. Some commercial fishermen and community members expressed support for culling and criticized the government's data on shark populations.

Community Response

Approximately 1,000 swimmers participated in a fundraiser swim-out at Coogee Beach one week after the attack on Leah Stewart. The event was organized by Coogee Surf Life Saving Club and Randwick City Council, with enhanced safety measures including surveillance drones, jetskis, and inflatable rescue boats. A GoFundMe campaign for Leah Stewart raised over AUD 480,000 to support her recovery.

Hundreds of people gathered in North Bondi for a paddle-out tribute to Nico Antic, the 12-year-old victim of the Vaucluse attack. The event was organized by his school. Lifeline counselors were made available at community gatherings for those affected by the incidents.

Environmental Factors

Experts linked the spike in New South Wales incidents to heavy rainfall, which creates murky, brackish water conditions favored by bull sharks and flushes nutrients into the ocean, attracting baitfish.

Sydney recorded 127 millimeters of rain in 24 hours in January 2026, its wettest January day in 38 years. Professor Ian Wright suggested that Sydney's aging sewage system, which uses primary treatment and deepwater ocean outfalls, may contribute to nutrients in coastal waters. Climate change causing warmer ocean temperatures was also cited as a factor that may be altering shark migratory patterns and behavior.

Broader Context

Australia averages more than three fatal shark attacks per year in recent decades. Since 1791, there have been nearly 1,300 recorded shark incidents in Australia, with over 260 fatalities. The International Shark Attack File reported a disproportionate number of global shark-related deaths in Australia in 2023.

New Caledonia resumed culling tiger and bull sharks in response to a fatal attack in 2026, prompting a legal challenge from environmental groups who cited a 2023 court ban on the practice.