Great effort.
Newcastle sent out the welcoming committee as well.
AN experienced ocean paddler has spoken about how he was stalked by a large great white shark off Bar Beach on Thursday morning before deciding the best option was to head to shore.The closures sparked sweeps along the coast by lifeguards and the Westpac rescue helicopter, who reported no sightings.
Beaches will re-open when dangerous surf conditions abate.
Damien Rider, who is paddling from the Gold Coast to Sydney to raise awareness about child abuse and neglect, was heading from Stockton to the Central Coast with local surf clubman Johnny Rowlatt when he first noticed the shark near them off Bar Beach.
He said they were about 800 metres off shore - which is a few hundred metres the other side of the shark nets - when it ‘‘popped up’’ and then disappeared again.
‘‘He appeared to go away so we kept paddling, but the next time we saw him he was a little closer,’’ Mr Rider said.The third time, the 3.5-metre long shark appeared in front of them.‘‘He was clearly stalking us and I knew I was the one dropping my arms in the water so he was going to go me first,’’ Mr Rider said.The pair decided to head into Merewether, and were followed in by the shark.
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The beaches were already closed due to rough conditions but the shark alarm was also sounded.‘‘We both got hammered on the way in but we thought it better to get smashed by the swell than bitten by a shark," Rider said.
