Avalon Beach was closed for 24 hours on Saturday following a close encounter between a local surfer and a shark at the Little Avalon surf break.
Paul Stanton, an Avalon resident, was surfing south of the rock pool at approximately 5.40am on 10 January when a shark emerged from beneath him and made contact with his surfboard while he was paddling.
Mr Stanton instinctively pushed the animal away, but sustained a minor laceration to his left thumb when it made contact with the shark’s tooth. The encounter left two distinct tooth marks on the fin of his surfboard, along with drops of blood.
After alerting other surfers in the water, Mr Stanton paddled back to shore. Despite the incident, he was reported to be in good spirits and the injury to his hand was minor enough that it did not require bandaging. According to another local surfer, Mr Stanton later went surfing at Whale Beach after Avalon Beach was closed.
The type of shark involved in the incident could not be determined, as low light conditions at the time prevented Mr Stanton from seeing it clearly in the water.
Following standard protocol for shark incidents, Surf Life Saving NSW closed Avalon Beach and conducted extensive searches of the area using jet skis, inflatable rescue boats and drones. However, drone operations were hampered by high winds on the day. The shark was not located during these patrols.
Despite the beach closure and warnings from surf lifesavers, some swimmers and surfers chose to enter the water throughout the day as temperatures climbed.
The incident occurred approximately four months after a fatal shark attack claimed the life of 57-year-old Mercury Psillakis at nearby Long Reef in September 2025.
Sharks were also reportedly sighted at several other beaches along the Northern Beaches and NSW coast on Saturday.
Published 10-January-2026