A large crowd of holidaymakers got a stark reminder of what’s in the water when a bull shark was caught by a fisherman at one of the Sunshine Coast’s most popular beaches.
The throng of onlookers, estimated at 100 strong, converged around the angler as he reeled in the almost 2m creature on Christmas Eve, at the groyne at the southern end of Kings Beach.
Board rider Stewart Williams, of Moffat Beach, was on hand to capture a photo of the unidentified fisher and his catch.
“I had just got out of the surf when he was pulling it in,” he said.
“He was on the groyne and had the rod bent over in half.
“A swimmer from Kings Beach almost swam straight through the line.
“He (the angler) was yelling at the unaware swimmer to not swim through it, and then he pulled it (the shark) in.
“There was a pretty good crowd too, with about 100 people.
“They were in awe because people don’t realise there are sharks there.
“Everyone was watching him reel it in and asking ‘is that a shark?’”
The catch was made about 300m south of the swimming flags at Caloundra’s main beach.
Mr Williams said the incident was a reminder that sharks were around.
“We know they’re there,” he said.
“I’ve had chats with some guys who have had to kick them away, at Happy Valley particularly.
“I’ve seen fins come up next to me.
“With the river mouth and the Pumicestone Passage (just south of the groyne) it’s simple maths to say there is sharks.”
There are shark control measures off Kings Beach, including a net and six drum lines.
“But they (bull sharks) get in real close,” Mr Williams said.
“The drums are about 150m offshore and the bull sharks come out of the river mouth and cruise along the waterline.
“They wouldn’t go out that far I don’t think.”
Bull sharks can range in size from 55cm to 3.4m and can be found in coastal waters, including rivers, estuaries and canals, around the world.
There are 23 locations with shark control measures on the Sunshine Coast, including 78 drum lines and 11 nets.
About 79 sharks were caught off the Sunshine Coast during 2022.
About 1591 sharks, including 813 measuring more than 2m, have been caught in the region since 2001.
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