Beaches set for holiday reopening after shark attacks

Sam McKeith and Adelaide Lang | January 22, 2026

All NSW beaches are expected to be open for the Australia Day long weekend after a spate of shark attacks prompted days-long closures.

Sydney’s northern beaches, which cover the coast from Manly to Palm Beach, remained closed on Thursday due to heightened danger after four shark attacks in three days in NSW.

In the most serious incident, 12-year-old Nico Antic was on Sunday mauled by a large shark near a harbour beach in Sydney’s east.

He remains in a critical condition in hospital and a family friend has indicated he is not expected to survive.

NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said beach re-openings were an “hour by hour” proposition ahead of the long weekend, when tens of thousands of people were expected to hit the sand amid forecast hot weather.

“Hopefully they will be open over the course of the long weekend. I expect that to be the case,” Ms Moriarty told reporters on Thursday.

“I acknowledge that it is frustrating that we’ve got closed beaches, but it is for people’s safety.

“We will continue to work with local councils. Local councils make decisions about beaches being open or closed.”

Northern Beaches Council said it planned a staged return to normal operations on Friday, with lifeguards assessing each beach.

Lifeguards will conduct regular patrols, supported by jet ski patrols, increased aerial surveillance and extra drumlines.

Ms Moriarty said the state government was finalising an expanded shark management program in response to the attacks, without disclosing how much extra would be spent.

NSW’s existing program, given a $2.5 million boost in December, includes SMART drumlines and drone patrols at 50 beaches during school holidays.

It also includes 37 tagged shark listening stations, which send alerts when a white, bull or tiger shark swims within 500 metres.

Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said closed beaches were being assessed for safety.

“We actually have the (rescue) helicopter flying the beaches. They did this yesterday, taking some aerial imagery just so they can see the water clarity,” Mr Pearce said.

“Tomorrow a further assessment will be done to see whether the beaches – one or more – will be enabled to be open.”

Earlier on Thursday, crowds evacuated the water at Coogee Beach in Sydney’s east after reports of a shark sighting sparked an alarm about 7am.

The beach reopened an hour later after no shark was found.

Randwick mayor Dylan Parker, whose council controls the beach, reminded swimmers to watch out for conditions that can attract sharks such as murky water after heavy rain, low light at dawn and dusk, and areas heavy with baitfish.

Further inland, a private school cancelled rowing training on the Parramatta River after a shark emerged near a crew.

Footage obtained by AAP showed a large shark breaching the surface about 30 metres from the students, who were participating in a rowing camp.

Shark attacks have also occurred this week at Sydney’s Dee Why and Manly beaches, as well as at Point Plomer on the mid-north coast – a mauling that resulted in the male victim being hospitalised with a chest wound.

The incidents have triggered debate about the effectiveness of shark mitigation techniques and warnings when weather lifts shark activity.

They follow the fatal shark attack on Mercury Psillakis, 57, who was bitten while surfing at Sydney’s Long Reef beach in September.