Terrifying footage surfaces of a bull shark lurking near a popular Sydney swimming spot – as fishermen say the waterways are swarming with hungry and aggressive predators
- A shark has been caught on film in the shallows at Port Hacking in Sutherland
- The sighing comes less than a week after another was spotted at Gymea Bay
- Commercial fisherman say sightings are likely to increase around April/May
Footage of a huge shark circling a popular swimming spot in Sydney has sparked fears for swimmers' safety.
A bull shark was spotted lurking near Yowie Bay Wharf at Port Hacking in the city's south on Tuesday morning.
The sighting comes less than a week after another of the aggressive species was seen nearby at Gymea Bay, only metres from someone's backyard.
Ocean Hunter fishing charters Captain Vic Levett told Daily Mail Australia sightings are likely to increase this time of year as sharks follow fish on their migration out to sea.
A bull shark was spotted lurking near Yowie Bay Wharf at Port Hacking in Sydney's south on Tuesday morning
'The mullet from the estuaries they all school up this time of year and they aggregate around the mouth and then they move out to sea in huge numbers,' Mr Levett said.
'This is when the sharks net all the mullet around the beaches. It's always around April or May.'
Mr Levett said there had been a resurgence in shark sightings since netting was banned for commercial fishing operations in and around Sydney Harbour about ten years ago.
'Bull sharks are always close to shore, they have always been in the estuaries,' he said.
'There is a lot less netting going on in the estuaries nowadays, Sydney Harbour is net free, Botany Bay is net free and Port Hacking is net free. So a lot of these fish are surviving.'
The shark was spotted by a Sydney local around Yowie Wharf at Port Hacking (pictured) in Sydney's Sutherland shire
Bull shark sightings have become so common that another fisherman reported catching and releasing 12 this year alone around Sydney Harbour.
Mr Levett said they're getting smarter too.
'We're getting a lot more sharks in tune with fishing these days, they'll follow boats and we'll go out to sea sometime and stop the boat and look under the boat and their is a shark sitting under there waiting,' he said.
But he said swimmers will need to take care if they're considering taking a dip in waters where the sharks have been sighted.
'I don't like bull sharks, I wouldn't like to swim with them,' he said.
Bull sharks can grow up to 130kg in weight are are named because of their aggressive behaviour; typically posing a greater threat to humans than other species.
The sighting comes less than a week after another of the aggressive species was seen at Gymea Bay, only metres from someone's backyard
