Eerie scenes have emerged as Bondi Beach was cleared for the third day in a row after a great white shark was spotted near a group of unsuspecting surfers.
The iconic beach was closed shortly before 7am on Thursday morning after a great white shark was seen in the water.
Lifeguards stood alone on the sand as they operated shark drones and put up signs warning beachgoers to stay away.
There was barely a soul on the beach as lifeguards worked to track down the shark. Some took photos of the empty shoreline and warning signs, while others continued their morning jogs and routines.
Waverley Council confirmed the shark sighting on Thursday.
“Waverley Council was alerted to a shark sighting at Bondi Beach at around 6.45am this morning,” a spokesperson told NewsWire.
“Beaches in the Waverley LGA remain closed and surveillance is underway.”
“Waverley Council lifeguards advise that all beaches in their local government area are closed following a sighting of a white shark at Bondi Beach,” a Dorsal Watch statement read.
The shark sighting was also confirmed by SharkSmart NSW.
It is understood the shark was about 3m in size and got to within roughly 20 metres of the North Bondi rocks.
Another shark was then spotted around 9pm, it is not known if it was the same shark.
The latest closure comes as the NSW government prepares to expand its use of shark detection technology. On Wednesday, Premier Chris Minns said the state was developing a large-scale shark monitoring program that would rely heavily on drones and other emerging technologies, describing the proposal as potentially world-leading and saying NSW wanted to be at the forefront of shark detection.
This is the third time a shark has been seen in the area this week, with the beach also emptied on Wednesday after a shark was spotted near swimmers.
Chilling footage shared by Drone Shark App showed the great white shark swimming a short distance from the breaking waves.
Surfers attempting to enter the water quickly turned around once they were notified, sending the drone operator a thumbs up as they left the beach.
“Third day running, here it is again,” the drone operator said in the video.
Long-time Bondi surfer Jason Offord said locals were taking the repeated sightings seriously.
“The feeling in the community is like everyone’s doing their jobs,” he said.
“The surfers and swimmers are staying out of the water when they’re told to, which is not normal, but because there’s been great whites spotted three days in a row I think everyone’s taking extra precaution.”
Mr Offord said many beachgoers had confidence in the surveillance measures being deployed.
“You’ve got the Surf Life Saving drone here today and yesterday and the day before, which is great, but you’ve also got the local guys, Drone Shark, out every morning spotting them,” he said.
“I’ve been surfing for more than 40 years and I’ve seen a few things over the years, but we’re all super aware at the moment.”
Rose Bay resident George said the closures had created an unusual atmosphere at Australia’s most famous beach.
“It’s been a bit eerie to be honest,” he said.
“When you look at the beach and there’s nobody swimming, nobody surfing, it’s kind of weird because every day there’d be somebody out there.”
George Harris said footage showing sharks swimming close to beachgoers was confronting.
“It’s pretty scary when you think that there’s swimmers there and they’re totally unaware that there’s a shark, especially a sizeable great white,” he said.
Despite the recent sightings, he believes increased drone patrols could ultimately improve safety.
“They’ve just recently come out with more drone activity and patrols,” he said.
“I actually think it’s going to be safer than it was before. It makes me more at ease to go for a swim if there’s drones patrolling and people there to sound an alarm and let you know if there’s a shark in the water.”
On Wednesday, Bondi was cleared out shortly before 7am after a shark was seen circling near beachgoers.
Footage shared by Surfing World Magazine showed the empty waters as passers-by continued their morning jogs and routines.
“It’s wild to see Sydney’s most populous beach empty with a fun little swell in the water,” the video caption read.