South Argh-stralia! Adelaide beachgoers left terrified as EIGHTEEN huge sharks are spotted near shore in one day
- Up to 18 sharks were seen swimming near South Australian beaches
- A school of about 12 whaler sharks were seen on Sunday at Normanville
- Lifesavers sounded the alarm and swimmers stayed close to the shore
- Another six sharks were spotted separately closer to the city centre
- A helicopter will be on patrol on Monday to see if they are still in the area
Beachgoers in South Australia have been warned to be extra vigilant in the water as scores of large sharks descend on the shoreline to feed off schools of salmon.
Up to 18 sharks were seen swimming within three kilometres of several South Australian beaches over the weekend, with some coming as close as 40 metres.
It comes during a spate of shark attacks across Australia, which has seen 17 so far this year. There have been 13 fatalities in the past 16 years in Western Australia alone.
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A school of about 12 bronze whaler sharks were spotted swimming 40 metres from the shoreline in Normanville, south of Adelaide, on Sunday (pictured)
A total of 18 sharks (pictured) were seen in the Adelaide area over the weekend, including including a four metre great white shark and another measuring between five to six metres long
Photos show a school of 12 bronze whaler sharks – varying between two to three metres in length – swimming close to the shoreline in Normanville, south of Adelaide around 12.30pm, according to Adelaide Now.
The school made their way through the area just after a large shark was spotted swimming near Lady Bay by a Westpac Helicopter, forcing lifesavers to sound the siren and warn beachgoers to be on alert and stay in shallow water.
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Five more sharks – including a four metre great white shark and another measuring between five to six metres long – were seen off several beaches close to Adelaide's city centre on Sunday.
The great white was spotted swimming more than two kilometres from West Beach and the largest shark was seen just a few hundred metres south at Glenelg.
A three metre shark, another bronze whaler and an unidentified large shark were swimming near Henley beach and Seacliff.
Surf Lifesaving SA emergency operations manager Andrew Bedford said the school was in SA because of an abundance of available food but a helicopter will be patrolling on Monday
Surf Lifesaving SA emergency operations manager Andrew Bedford said the school was probably in South Australia because of an abundance of available food.
'There's obviously a lot of bait fish … there at the moment,' he said.
'Salmon are moving through that area.'
Lifesavers remain on alert and a helicopter will be sent to patrol on Monday to see if the sharks are still in the area, Mr Bedford said.
'Be alert but don't be alarmed and don't stop having fun at the beach,' he said.
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