Sydney beaches close after three shark attacks in two days

Beaches in the north of Sydney remained closed on Tuesday after ‌a shark bit a man in his 20s, the city's third shark attack in two days. Emergency services ⁠were called to a beach in Manly in the north of the city on Monday evening following reports a surfer had been bitten by a ​shark, New South Wales police said in a statement.

Beaches in the north of Sydney remained closed on Tuesday after ‌a shark bit a man in his 20s, the city's third shark attack in two days.

Emergency services ⁠were called to a beach in Manly in the north of the city on Monday evening following reports a surfer had been bitten by a ​shark, New South Wales police said in a statement. He was treated ‍for serious leg injuries and taken to hospital in a critical condition.

All beaches in the Northern Beaches, a council area straddling the city's northern coastline, will remain closed until ⁠further ‌notice, police said. Earlier ⁠on Monday a 10-year-old boy escaped unharmed after a shark knocked him into the ‍water, biting a chunk out of his surfboard.

On Sunday a boy was left ​in a critical condition after being bitten by a shark at ⁠a city beach. The attacks follow days of heavy rain that ran off into the harbour ⁠and beaches around the city, creating ideal conditions for the bull sharks suspected to be behind some of the attacks. The species ⁠thrives in brackish water.

Australia sees around 20 shark attacks per year with ⁠just under three ‌of those being fatalities, according to data from conservation groups. Those numbers are dwarfed by drownings on the country's ⁠beaches.