Reports of shark sighting near Orewa beach

Wednesday, 25 December 2019

This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.

Surf Life Saving Northern Region duty officer Dan Short said the beach was closed for a few hours on Tuesday after reports of a 2 metre shark swimming about 500 metres offshore.

A shark sighting saw the beach closed on Christmas Eve and there have been reports of more sightings on Christmas Day.

On Christmas Day, lifeguards received multiple reports from paddleboarders who say they saw a shark of a similar size between 150m and 500m offshore.

About 500 people are recorded as being at the beach On Wednesday and lifeguards are proactively warning people not to swim at the moment.

**READ MORE:

* The dark side of New Zealand summer

* Southern shark survey calls on public to report sightings

* East Auckland locals wary of waters after shark washes up on beach

* Orewa residents want better protection for waterways**

Swimming is also not advised at nearby Hatfields Beach and Red Beach.

This story was originally published on RNZ.co.nz and is republished with permission.