UPDATE SUNDAY 10am:
Nobbys Beach has been closed for the second time in as many days after another large shark was spotted where swimmers often venture.
The Newcastle Herald understands lifeguards opened the popular beach on Sunday morning after closing it on Saturday when a Great White was detected by a Department of Primary Industries drone in the surf, close to shore.
But after about 15 minutes of the beach being open on Sunday morning, the drone found what is believed to be a two metre bull shark swimming in and out of the breakers.
The beach has been closed and shark warning signs have been set up.
Meanwhile, a young woman was rescued after becoming caught in a rip at Newcastle beach on Sunday morning.
EARLIER
Lifeguards closed Nobbys Beach on Saturday morning, January 27, after a Great White shark was seen in the surf zone.
The Department of Primary Industries' drone monitoring program raised the alarm, which prompted lifeguards on patrol to close the beach and call swimmers from the water.
A City of Newcastle source confirmed that the beach would remain closed for the remainder of the day due to poor visibility on the water. Lifeguards will re-assess the situation on Sunday. In the meantime, the city spokesperson said the Newcastle Ocean Baths would remain open.
The call came only moments after hundreds of ocean swimmers returned to the sand at Nobbys following the Nobbys2Newcastle ocean swim.
Race director Lee Howes said the annual event, which usually ran from the iconic local beach, around the rock shelf and past the Newcastle Ocean Baths to Newcastle Beach, had to be rerouted back to Nobbys Beach at the weekend after a brisk southerly made Newcastle Beach unsuitable for swimming.
"We have been doing this for a few years now," Ms Howes said. "And every year, you just accept what comes your way."
She said the first shark sighting had swimmers called from the water about 10.45am after the last ocean swimmers finished the Nobbys to Cowrie Hole race around 10am.
Despite the challenges, Ms Howe said the annual event had been growing year on year, and the competition at the weekend was as strong as ever.
Reece Caddy was the first male swimmer to reach the sand, posting a time of 24 minutes and 25 seconds. The first female swimmer, Stephanie Carey, followed closely, at 24 minutes and 39 seconds.
Ms Howes described Ms Carey as one of the competition's top swimmers and a regular entrant, who won the overall event in 2023 and finished fourth this year.
"Every year, it gets bigger and bigger," Ms Howes said.
"I just think that the popularity amongst ocean swimmers is growing, and people are getting more confident because there's support for them.
"I think people want to try ocean swimming, but they want to do it in a safe environment, and that is one of the things we have been able to do; we have plenty of water safety (monitors) and plenty of people out on boards to help the swimmers feel safe."
