While the summer season is almost set to begin, the beaches of Australia turn into major tourist attractions as tourists enjoy surfing. Recently, a surfing carnival on Sydney’s northern beaches has been suspended as a shark attack ruined the summer vibes for all present in the area. The officials have claimed that no one was harmed during this attack, although a bull shark has taken the life of a dolphin, as per reports.

The officials reported to ABC News that three bull sharks were spotted by the tourists in a pack at Shelly Beach in Manly. The tourists further claim that a dolphin was spotted later on with a major bite on its tail. Later on, the dolphin washed up on the shore, and the body was reported by some locals.

The shark attack that postponed the surfing carnival

As per the officials, sharks have been quite active during this season, and the attacks have increased. The same dolphin was seen by tourists who were swimming and surfing in the same patch of the beach, although the end wasn’t peaceful for the mammal.

All local and tourist surfers were restricted in the area as beach officials took the matter into their hands. The suspension of the carnival was declared right after the incident. The officials also closed surfing and swimming activities at the nearby beaches. They suspect that the shark involved in this attack is still around the areas of Shelley and Queenscliff.

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An official who was present during the incident said to ABC News, “The shark just literally swam straight past them and headed for the dolphin. We’re not sure whether [the dolphin] was ill and died of natural causes or was attacked and died of those injuries.” After the body was found on the shore, the officials took the dolphin to a nearby zoo for further investigation. All of these happenings in one day have caused the officials to stay alert the whole time. 

Marine predator researcher breaks down the incident further

The report was further analyzed by Dr. Vanessa Pirotta, who is a wildlife scientist and science communicator. The marine predator researcher also claims that this kind of encounter between a dolphin and a shark is pretty common.

While she has mentioned that the situation is hard to process for the locals and the tourists, measures were undertaken for the dolphin to know more about the source and nature of the bite. Dr. Pirotta also pointed out that the warm ocean attracts these bull sharks a lot, so it would be safer not to swim or surf for a while after the attack.

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While there are several stories concerning dolphins coming to the rescue of humans, What do you think of the gruesome attack by these terrifying predators? Let us know in the comment section.