UPDATE, January 13 10.45AM,
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A bull shark has been spotted at Redhead Beach.
The 2.5m shark was seen heading south. There are no beachgoers in the area and authorities have been notified.
EARLIER REPORT:
TWO great white sharks and a hammerhead have been seen off Hunter beaches in the space of 24 hours, as a network of drones and helicopters continues to watch the coast.
The smooth hammerhead shark, a species that grows up to four metres long but is generally considered harmless to humans, was found by an aerial drone off Redhead beach about 10am Thursday.
A Department of Primary Industries spokesman said the hammerhead’s presence close to the shore didn’t warrant the closure of the beach.
The department has also released rare aerial shots of two fevers of stingrays, photographed off Redhead on Thursday.
At about 12pm on Wednesday, a helicopter crew’s report of a 2.8-metre white shark south of Hawks Nest surf club prompted life savers to shut Bennetts beach.
The crew had earlier found a smaller white shark off the beach, which is part of a corridor heavily populated by sharks.
A helicopter also spotted a 2.7-metre white shark off the Tin City settlement on Stockton beach around 12pm Wednesday, but there were no swimmers nearby.
The NSW government has contracted private operators to fly shark-detection drones, complemented by helicopter patrols, over Redhead for four hours every morning until January 29.
