Sydney shark warning

The last time this writer had a Sydney fishing guide call to say that it’s only a matter of time before someone gets attacked on Sydney Harbour that very thing happened the next day.

It was February 9, 2009, when Navy diver Paul de Gelder lost two limbs when a 3m bull shark attacked him during a training exercise off Garden Island near Rushcutter’s Bay.

Fast forward to February 9 — chills on the back of my neck now — in 2016 and I’ve just fielded a live call from fishing guide Justin Duggan from Sydney Fly Fishing Tours, who is out on Pittwater.

"I know how much time you spend on the waterway with your kids. I’m no shark phobic, but I’m just telling you to stay out of the water," he said.

Earlier in the day, Duggan posted photos and video of dozens of sharks feeding on anchovies in Pittwater not far from popular Palm Beach.

It was overcast, windy and vast school of baitfish were about. All the elements that increase the risk of shark attack were there.

"I’ve seen plenty of sharks and spent a lot of time on the Cape (York), so I’ve seen packs of them," Duggan said, prefacing his warning.

"But I’ve just seen as many as I’ve ever seen in Pittwater. They ranged up to 7ft in length and probably 40-100kg.

"The weird thing is they’re mixed schools of sharks, with hammerheads, whalers and bull sharks," adds the knowledgeable guide, who stands to gain nothing by reporting the news except that folk like me might think twice before jumping in this weekend.

The sharks are shadowing huge bait balls in Pittwater and are totally focussed on those tasty anchovies, not interested in eating flies, or even a live tailor thrashing about in the water that Duggan said was about a kilo in weight.

But he also believes that the sharks are in such numbers and size as to pose a real risk to swimmers and other users of Pittwater.

He marked a big school of 10 or 12 sharks on his depth sounder and showed the image on his online Facebook post. Spotting the sharks in such numbers was like being in "Weipa all over again," he said.

There were hammerheads and whalers but also the big blunt head of a bull shark broke the surface. In the last few days, anglers on Sydney Harbour have held up photos of kingfish heads after the rest of the fish was bitten clean off. The bull sharks are here now.

All of which points to a timely reminder. February-March is the peak season for sharks in Sydney. It’s hot, humid, cloudy and it's extremely fishy. We can’t emphasise this enough right now, but swim in the shark netted bathing areas in Sydney Harbour and Pittwater and other local estuaries. Keep your dog out of the water.

This is no trumped up tabloid warning. This is real. Duggan has seen a lot in his time as a fishing guide. He is rarely moved to pick up the phone and issue a personal warning. We pass this on for your benefit, too.