Two kayakers had a scary encounter after being nudged by a shark offshore Fairy Meadow Beach about 5.30pm on New Year’s Day.
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A man and woman were kayaking about 250 metres offshore when they felt the shark which was “longer than the kayak”.
The shark is believed to be more than 3.5 metres long.
The kayakers returned to shore near Puckeys Beach and reported the encounter to Surf Lifesaving Illawarra volunteers.
Surf lifesavers jumped on support operation jetskis and inflatable rescue boats to try and locate the shark.
They sighted the shark in the water after completing a line pattern search and they were able to move the shark deeper into the ocean.
Surf Lifesaving Illawarra Club duty officer Anthony Turner said the shark heard the jetskis and dived deeper.
The jetski surf lifesaver said the shark was about three metres long but could not determine the species.
Mr Turner said multiple resources were deployed to relocate the shark.
“I can’t recall a shark nudging a kayak before,” he said. “It must have been a fair size to be longer than a two-person kayak.”
He said the beach was closed and would remain so because it was after 6pm.
Lifeguards will be notified of the shark sighting.
Mr Turner said the shark could be the same three-metre white pointer that caused Wollongong City Beach to close around 12pm on Tuesday.
The Department of Primary Industries helicopter spotted the shark.
Wollongong City’s beach was reopened around 1.30pm.
A short time later an off duty surf lifesaver rescued four people caught in the same rip at Sandon Point Beach. One Pakistani man was swept 140 metres offshore.
Mr Turner and another swimmer used boggie boards to keep the man afloat before surf lifesavers were able to attend.
A short time after, three other people entered the water and had to be rescued from the same rip by Mr Turner and Sandon Point lifesaver Alex Lockhart.
The people were swimming after the beach was closed.