Newcastle beaches set to remain closed

Shark sightings along the Newcastle coastline will shut beaches for an unprecedented ninth straight day but an attack on the NSW south coast couldn't halt a nearby surf lifesaving event.

A five-metre great white, nicknamed Bruce, and a three-and-a-half metre shark that lunched on a dolphin have kept 15km of Newcastle coastline closed this weekend.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy was bitten on the hand by a 1.5m shark on Friday at Mollymook Beach, about three and a half hours south of Sydney.

Sam Smith has been flown to a Sydney hospital with lacerations to his hand sustained after he tried to film the shark while spearfishing.

But the attack didn't stop hundreds of competitors at the NSW Country Surf Lifesaving Championships at the other end of the beach.

"The carnival is just south of where the incident occurred," a Surf Life Saving NSW spokeswoman said.

"We're just going to monitor the situation, we don't feel the need to panic everyone."

But in Newcastle, the presence of two large sharks has been enough for beach inspectors to avoid the risk of an attack.

"This is a creature you don't want to encounter," said a Newcastle council spokeswoman.

Swimmers and surfers have been warned to keep away despite the temptation of cooling off in the summer heat.

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Newcastle beaches set to remain closed

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