Photo: 9 News Australia // YouTube
There’s virtually no way to surf alone at Snapper Rocks. The Queensland surf break is as renowned for its endless procession of perfect waves as it is for its nightmarish crowd. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder in the lineup, paddle battles and constant drop-ins are the norm there. This week, however, we finally found out what it takes to clear out the water at the crown jewel of the Gold Coast: dozens and dozens of sharks.
On Tuesday, Snapper Rocks was cleared out by the appearance of a massive feeding frenzy of sharks. Multiple videos posted to social media depict the event, where dozens of sharks can be seen thrashing in the shallow water. As The Guardian reports, the species of shark is unclear, but the nearby Tweed River mouth is known to be a bull shark nursery.
It appears the sharks were attracted to a large bait ball in the shallows — a tightly-grouped spherical swarm of small fish. Even with that explanation, the sight was still a rarity.
“There were sharks everywhere, it was just insane,” local surfer Dean Harrington told 9 News Australia. “We travel up and down this coast and I’ve never seen anything like that.”
Even still, some intrepid Australians were undeterred by the mass of predators. A man was spotted attempting to fish in the shallows, and at least one insane person was seen attempting to paddle out.
The swarm of sharks occurred despite the presence of shark nets in the region, bolstering the argument of detractors of the devices. Greens senator Peter Whish-Wilson said in a statement: “What further proof do governments need that shark nets do not work, and can even attract sharks to beaches where they can feed on marine wildlife caught in these barbaric walls of death.”