It is not safe for board riders to be out in the water, even close to shore, as sharks are known to move into the surf zone, hunting prey between where the surf breaks and the shoreline... It is unusual for a shark to stay around the same coastal areas for this many days in a row, and we would like to have at least a 24 hour period of no sightings before the beaches are reopened.

Australia has had a spate of serious shark attacks in recent years, mainly on the west coast. There have been numerous beach closures during the current summer, including at popular beaches such as Bondi in Sydney.

Lifeguards around Newcastle, which has a population of about 550,000, have been working extra hours and conducting additional patrols on jet skis.

Despite the warnings, beachgoers have continued to enter the waters to swim and surf.

Peter Withers, a long-serving council worker who runs local aquatic services, told Fairfax Media: "We've consistently seen the big one every day. Certainly it's the biggest shark we've ever had and it's hung around longer than any other shark.

Cliff Marsh, from the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service, said the shark was "15 foot and ... a real menace".

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'Biggest shark ever seen' leads to beaches closed in Australia