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WA sharks: Cottesloe, North Cottesloe and Swanbourne beaches closed after tiger shark sighting

Rourke Walsh and Sarah StegerThe West Australian
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Birds eye view of North Cottesloe Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter
Camera IconBirds eye view of North Cottesloe Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter Credit: Westpac Lifesaver Helicopter/Surf Life Saving WA

UPDATE: Three popular Perth beaches that were closed earlier on Saturday morning after a shark sighting have now reopened.

Swimmers scrambled out of the water at Cottesloe, North Cottesloe and Swanbourne beaches after a tiger shark was spotted in the area about 8.20am.

The 2m shark was seen circling about 100m offshore at North Cottesloe beach during a Surf Life Saving WA helicopter patrol.

Moments before the sirens sounded across the three beaches, dozens of swimmers participating in the annual Cottesloe Classic Mile ocean swim had entered the water to begin the event.

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The West Australian was told the swimmers, aged 12 years and up for both the 1600m and 3000m races, and nine years and up for the 400m, were about 10m from shore at Cottesloe Beach when the alarm went off.

A shark has been spotted at North Cottesloe beach Nick Rynne
Camera IconA shark has been spotted at North Cottesloe beach Nick Rynne Credit: Nick Rynne/The West Australian

“Unfortunately the CottMile is on hold for 45mins due to a confirmed sighting. We’ll aim to restart in 45mins,” a Facebook post shared by the Cottesloe Surf Life Saving Club said.

Less than an hour later the club shared another update, assuring swimmers the event was good to go ahead once more.

“We are back on and swimmers are at the start line!!,” the post said. “Good luck swimmers!!!”

While the alert came just 20 minutes after SLSWA tweeted an aerial picture from the patrol chopper showing nippers in the water for a competition at North Cottesloe, a spokeswoman on Saturday confirmed the image had not been taken that morning and that the nippers had not been in the water at the time the shark alarm went off.

It brings the total number of shark sightings in the Perth metro area in the past 24 hours to seven.

On Friday about 2.40pm a member of the public spotted a 2.5m hammerhead shark at Mullaloo beach about 10m offshore.

Three hours earlier at Whitford beach a 2.5m unknown species of shark was seen heading south about 10m offshore.

The Westpac Helicopter spotted a 3m tiger shark circling about 150m offshore at City beach just after 10am. Just 10 minutes later the chopper patrol saw a similar-sized ocean predator circling 40m from Port beach.

An hour later a member of the public reported they saw a medium-sized shark 10m offshore north of Peasholm dog beach and south of Brighton beach about 10am.

The first sighting of the day on Friday was at Whitfords beach at 8am, when a 1.5m tiger shark was spotted circling 200m offshore.

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