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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
Environment
Daisy Dumas

Four shark attacks in 48 hours leave Australian surfer Matt more afraid of local beaches than world’s biggest waves

Surfer rides a wave
‘It does feel like a piece of you gets stripped away when something like this happens’ … Sydney surfer Matt Chojnacki decided to leave the city after three shark attacks in quick succession. Photograph: Darcie Collington

In a city of more than 100 beaches, swimming and surfing are part of Sydney’s lifeblood. But four shark bites in New South Wales in 48 hours – three of which were in Sydney – have rattled even some of the city’s most seasoned ocean users.

On Sunday afternoon, a 12-year-old boy was left fighting for his life after being bitten on a harbour beach in Vaucluse in Sydney’s east. On Monday morning, an 11-year-old’s surfboard was bitten multiple times at Dee Why in the city’s north, while that afternoon, a 27-year-old man was bitten while surfing in Manly, less than 5km away.

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