Baby great white shark washes ashore in Sydney, gets temporary refuge in public pool

With the shark in the saltwater rockpool, the popular tourist attraction along the New South Wales coast was closed to swimmers. PHOTO: SCREENGRAB FROM TWITTER/@RPY

A baby great white shark, injured and washed up on a beach in Sydney, was given refuge in a public swimming pool on Monday (Sept 11).

The shark was spotted along the shore of Manly beach in north of Sydney in the afternoon, reported the Guardian.

After onlookers alerted marine rescue and lifeguards, rescuers moved the predator to the Fairy Bower pool close by, where it would stay temporarily for observation until it is ready to be sent back to the ocean.

With the shark in the saltwater rockpool, the popular tourist attraction along the New South Wales coast was closed to swimmers.

Despite this, onlookers continued to gather along the sides of the pool, taking photos and videos of the shark exploring its temporary home.

Beachgoer Alex Martiniuk told public broadcaster ABC that she saw rescuers moving the shark from the beach to the pool with a sling.

"They looked like they were just there assessing it, and the pool is closed so they would probably have to carry it out of there," she said, describing the shark as "a fair size".

The shark will likely be kept in the pool until Tuesday, Manly Sea Life Sanctuary told Australian media outlet Fairfax.

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