Victoria’s Fairhaven beach on the Great Ocean Road was closed for four hours on Monday after a shark sighting, adding to dozens of sightings on Christmas Day.
Surf lifesavers called swimmers out of the water about 11am on Boxing Day.
About 30 sharks were sighted along Victorian beaches on Christmas Day, prompting Fisheries Victoria to urge people to swim at patrolled beaches.
The Life Saving Victoria helicopter spotted between 15 and 20 sharks off Fairhaven and a further 12 sharks off Anglesea beach, about 13km further north.
A helicopter patrolled Victoria’s western coastline on Boxing Day after the sightings of the sharks, ranging in size from 1.5 metres to 3.5 metres.
Life Saving Victoria’s general manager, Paul Shannon, said Monday was much cooler than Christmas Day, with fewer people at beaches, and the closure was the only major event of the morning.
The premier, Daniel Andrews, told reporters on Monday he had talked with emergency management commissioner Craig Lapsley, who was working with Life Saving Victoria and monitoring the shark sightings. “Obviously this is not something we’ve had to deal with all that often,” Andrews said.
Shannon told radio 3AW on Monday morning there were more sightings at the beaches than expected for this time of year. But he said patrols had been stepped up on Christmas Day owing to increased numbers of swimmers in the water, with temperatures in Victoria reaching 41C.
It was Melbourne’s hottest Christmas Day in 18 years, driving people to the water.
“When there is greater surveillance, there’s always going to be great reporting,” Shannon said.
