Sydney private school cancels rowing after shark breach in river

An incredible video has captured the moment a bull shark leapt out of the Parramatta River, landing metres from a private school rowing practice.

The shark was doing one of four things, experts say: shaking off parasites, chasing prey, communicating, or fleeing an even bigger shark.

The King’s School has suspended all small boat training after the shark breached at Silverwater on Monday, landing 30 metres away from students on a training camp.

“Holy f---!” the videographer says.

The shocked students returned to the pontoon without incident.

Senior scientist and bull shark expert Dr Amy Smoothey from the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said that, while breaching was “not uncommon behaviour” for bull sharks, capturing it on video was rare.

“I am very jealous,” Smoothey said. “I haven’t seen it in the past in 16 years. To capture it is pretty rare and so I’m really excited that someone’s been able to show that capability of the shark.”

She estimates the shark to be just under two metres in length and weighing about 85 kilograms.

“That has high energetic costs for that shark,” she said. “There has to be some reason as to why that behaviour would be the case. Was it breaching to have dislodged parasites that are on the shark? Is it for hunting? Is it for breaching to avoid predators? And is it for social interactions?”

In a statement to parents, The King’s School said it was responding with an “enhanced set of precautionary measures” to ensure the safety of students.

“As you are well aware from media reports, recent weather events have increased shark activity throughout the harbour and on our beaches with tragic consequences,” the statement said.

The school has suspended all small boat training, with only quads and eights permitted on the water. Instructors were assessing conditions with “increased vigilance”.

“On-water sessions will be cancelled if conditions pose an elevated risk of capsize.”

A spokesperson for the school said that, while “a fin would occasionally be spotted” during training sessions, this was the first time the school had witnessed a breach, and it had never been “caught on film”.

A huge downpour on Sunday was a key factor behind the cluster of shark attacks in Sydney and NSW this week, which has triggered beach closures and ramped-up shark patrols. The attacks include the mauling of surfer Andre de Ruyter at North Steyne Beach on Monday evening and the attack on 12-year-old Nico Antic, who jumped off a rock in Vaucluse on Sunday afternoon. He is not expected to survive his injuries.

Bull sharks come closer to shore for as long as eight days after heavy rainfall, according to Australian research, and experts warn the risk of shark attacks could remain heightened going into the long weekend.

While people may feel safer inside a watercraft and the risk of a shark encounter is lower, Smoothey said the DPI’s advice is the same for all water users.

“Whether you are swimming, surfing, paddleboarding, in a kayak or rowing, in summer and autumn, water users need to be alert,” she said.

Asked whether Sydney’s rivers were safe for rowing and other water sports, given the prevalence of bull sharks, Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said there was “no silver bullet” and people needed to be mindful of the risks when they were swimming.

“There are bull sharks in Sydney Harbour and in our rivers. There are sharks on our beaches across NSW at any given time. I don’t want to scare people … the community will continue to use our waterways,” she said.

Moriarty acknowledged that, while it was not a “perfect solution”, she urged people using Sydney’s rivers and harbour beaches to download the SharkSmart app, which provides the location of 2500 tagged sharks.

Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce said he would only swim in enclosed parts of Sydney’s harbour beaches given the current risks.

He expected the state’s beaches would reopen for the Australia Day long weekend.

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