Dozens of Sharks Swarm the Shallows in Byron Bay

Monday 8 December 2025 – Byron Bay, New South Wales

Dozens of sharks have been filmed swirling through the shallows at Byron Bay’s Tallow Beach, turning a normally laid-back surf break into a churning mass of grey fins and fleeing baitfish. Drone footage shows the predators pushing right up against the sandbank as they tear into a dense school of fish, just metres from where people usually swim and surf.

The extraordinary sight was first shared by local photographer Sonia Friedrich, who launched her drone after noticing unusual splashing offshore. What she captured has since raced around news sites and social media: a tightly packed “shiver” of sharks looping and darting in formation, the water flashing white as they lunge through the bait ball. Friedrich told reporters it was an “amazing sight” and that in more than two decades living in Byron Bay she had never seen anything on this scale.

The frenzy unfolded on Sunday in calm, glassy conditions that made every movement in the turquoise water painfully clear. Aerial photos published by 9News show the sharks pushing so close to shore that the breaking wave line is only a few metres away. Miraculously, there were no reports of injuries; lifeguards and locals say most swimmers were already out of the water, while others quickly retreated as the commotion became obvious.

Marine experts say the behaviour is dramatic but not unusual for this stretch of coast at the start of summer. Schools of baitfish, tuna and mullet migrate along the New South Wales shoreline, drawing in larger predators – including bronze whalers, whaler sharks and occasionally great whites. When conditions line up and the food source is concentrated in a small pocket, scenes like the one at Tallow Beach can explode suddenly and then vanish within minutes.

What makes this episode different is how clearly it was recorded. High-resolution drones and smartphones now mean almost every swell line has a camera pointed at it. Footage that once would have been the domain of scientists is now appearing in everyday news feeds, fuelling both fascination and fear. A concise write-up in the Brisbane Times notes that the sharks were simply taking advantage of an easy meal, not actively hunting people.

Authorities have stressed that shark attacks remain rare, even on busy surf coasts. But Tallow Beach sits just a short headland away from some of Australia’s most famous breaks, and locals know how quickly a viral clip can spook visitors. In recent years, New South Wales has experimented with a mix of traditional shark nets, drumlines and, increasingly, shark-spotting drones to keep an eye on unpatrolled beaches without killing marine life.

For Byron Bay regulars, the images are a reminder that the postcard-perfect surf town sits on the edge of a thriving marine ecosystem. Many surfers accept that sharks are part of the deal: share the lineup, stay alert, and get out of the water if birds, baitfish and unusual movement suggest something larger is moving underneath. Others argue that authorities should go further with real-time drone patrols and better public alerts when large numbers of sharks are seen close to shore.

For now, the Tallow Beach feeding frenzy has become a global curiosity rather than a tragedy – a rare moment where humans watched from the sand as the ocean’s food chain played out almost at their feet. As summer heat settles over the east coast and more people pour into the water, the challenge for coastal communities will be balancing that raw, wild spectacle with a cool-headed approach to safety.

Dozens of Sharks Swarm the Shallows in Byron Bay

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