Surfer injured in fourth shark attack in Australian state in 48 hours

A surfer has been bitten by a shark, the fourth attack along Australia’s New South Wales (NSW) coastline in under 48 hours.

The 39-year-old man suffered minor cuts after a shark bit through his board near Crescent Head on Tuesday morning. He is currently in hospital in stable condition, say reports.

It follows three other attacks in Sydney over the past two days. All beaches in Sydney’s northern area will remain closed under further police, said police.

The attacks follow days of heavy rains, which NSW Superintendent Joseph McNulty had earlier said may have created a “perform storm environment” for shark attacks. Rain flushes nutrients into the water, which can draw sharks closer to shore.

The attack on Tuesday took place near the Point Plomer campground, about 450km (279mi) north of Sydney.

Steve Pearce, the chief executive of Surf Life Saving NSW, said the surfer was “very fortunate to not have sustained any serious injuries”, ABC reported.

“We really strongly advocate that nobody swim or surf near river mouths because it’s obviously an area where sharks congregate,” Pearce said. “If it’s dirty water I’d think twice about going in there.”

A young surfer had a similarly lucky escape at Dee Why Beach in Sydney on Monday, but a shark attack at nearby Manly hours later left a 27-year-old with “life-changing” injuries. On Sunday, a 12-year-old boy was also critically injured when bitten at a popular Sydney Harbour beach.

Authorities believe bull sharks were involved in several of the recent attacks.

Bull sharks, which can be found in both fresh water and salt water, are “one of the few sharks that are potentially dangerous to people”, the Australian Museum says. They are the third deadliest shark species, according to the International Shark Attack File.

Last November, a woman was killed and a man was seriously injured after being attacked by a bull shark on a remote beach in New South Wales.

Though Australia is a global shark attack hotspot, the chances of being attacked are still minute.

Police on Monday advised the public to avoid waterways in NSW due to recent weather, which has decreased water quality and visibility.

“I would recommend not swimming in the harbour or our other river systems across NSW at this time,” Superintendent Joseph McNulty told reporters.