Summer shark sightings: Two Coromandel Peninsula beaches forced to close within days of each other

• Holidaymakers have been advised not to swim at Coromandel Peninsula’s Whiritoa Beach after multiple shark sightings.
• A lifeguard reported three separate shark sightings on Friday, leading to intermittent beach closures.
• It comes days after Waihī Beach – just down the coast – was forced to close temporarily after a shark was spotted near the flagged area.

Holidaymakers have been warned not to swim at a popular beach on the Coromandel Peninsula after reports of multiple shark sightings.

Safeswim issued a safety warning for Whiritoa Beach today, advising people not to swim because of shark sightings.

A spokesman for the Whiritoa Lifeguard Service told the Herald there had been three separate shark sightings close to the shore today and the beach had been closed intermittently.

He said lifeguards were in the process of reopening the beach shortly after 5pm.

The spokesman said they didn’t get a good look at the sharks, but thought they may have been bronze whalers – considering how shallow they came – and said they were “on the smaller side”. He didn’t know if the separate sightings were of the same shark.

It comes after Surf Life Saving NZ says a shark sighting near the flagged area of Waihī Beach – just down the coast from Whiritoa Beach – forced its temporary closure on Christmas Day.

In 2021, 19-year-old Kaelah Marlow was fatally attacked by a great white shark at Waihī Beach.

Marlow was swimming with a group of friends on January 7 when she was attacked by the 2.8m ocean predator.

She was hauled on to a boat and whisked back to shore for medical treatment but died from her injuries.

A coroner’s report described the attack as a “single massive bite”.

The Department of Conservation (DoC) also issued a warning to swimmers on Christmas Eve after great white sharks were spotted in a Waikato harbour on the west coast of the North Island.

Footage posted to a local community page, reportedly taken near the Kāwhia Harbour wharf, showed a great white shark circling a fishing boat.

This was followed up by another post warning of shark sightings.

“Two great whites were seen in the harbour yesterday by our local kids swimming quite close to the wharf,” the person wrote on Tuesday.

“Thought I better post before everyone lets their tamariki go swimming.”

DoC confirmed sharks have been seen in the Kāwhia Harbour in recent weeks.

“It is not unusual for more sharks to be seen along our coastlines at this time of year as waters start warming up,” it posted to Facebook.

“They often come into harbours in search of food and are attracted to recreational fishing vessels using berley.”

And it issued advice to the public to stay safe around the dangerous species.

“Avoid swimming in areas where sharks have recently been seen and if you do see a great white shark while swimming you should quickly and calmly get out of the water.”