Shark alarm sounds at Coogee, Sydney© Nine

NSW beaches closed due to four recent shark attacks are expected to reopen for the Australia Day long weekend.

Several popular beaches remain closed today, including Bronte, Maroubra, and Cronulla beaches, with sharks listed among the reported hazards.

But NSW Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty hopes to reopen beaches across the state in time for the public holiday long weekend.

“Hopefully they will be open over the course of the long weekend. I expect that to be the case,” Moriarty said on Thursday, via AAP.

“I acknowledge that it is frustrating that we’ve got closed beaches, but it is for people’s safety.

“We will continue to work with local councils. Local councils make decisions about beaches being open or closed.”

NSW recorded four shark attacks in just 48 hours this week, including three in Sydney waters.

Nico Antic, 12, was in the water near Shark Beach in Vaucluse on Sunday when a suspected bull shark bit him.

12-year-old Nico Antic was attacked by a shark in Vaucluse on Sunday.© Nine

Antic’s friends pulled him out of the water but he had sustained serious leg wounds and was raced to hospital.

He has been in a critical condition ever since.

The following day, an 11-year-old boy had a close encounter with a shark that bit his surfboard at Dee Why Beach.

The boy was unharmed.

Hours later, Andre De Ruyter, 27, was mauled by what was believed to be a bull shark while swimming at a Manly beach.

He was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Surfer Paul Zvirzdinas was then attacked at Point Plomer Beach, north of Port Macquarie, on Thursday and got away with minor injuries.

Paul Zvirzdinas was attacked by a shark at Point Plomer on the NSW Mid North Coast.© 9News

Experts said recent wet weather likely played a role in the string of attacks.

Rain can cause murky conditions and attract large numbers of baitfish to areas frequented by swimmers, increasing the chance of shark encounters.

“We get clusters of bites when conditions are suited for them to be feeding in the same areas as people, and so that’s like a perfect storm,” Emeritus Professor of Marine Ecology at Macquarie University Robert Harcourt previously told 9news.com.au.

Beachgoers are urged to monitor for updates regarding beach closures and shark sightings over the long weekend.

Experts have warned swimmers to avoid murky water, areas with lots of baitfish in the water, and swimming at dawn and dusk.

A shark was also recorded leaping out of the water near a group of rowers on the Paramatta River in Sydney this week.© Supplied

Moriarty also confirmed on Thursday that the NSW government is finalising an expanded shark management program in response to the recent string of attacks.

She did not reveal the cost of the expansion.

Sharks aren’t the only concern at NSW beaches over the long weekend either.

The coastal drowning risk is 1.5 times higher during school holidays, three times higher on public holidays, and even higher on Australia Day specifically, making this weekend particularly concerning.

Drownings also claim significantly more lives than shark attacks in Australia each year.

More than 350 people drowned in Australian waterways between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

In the same period, just four people were killed by sharks.

Sydney is forecast for hot, sunny conditions over the weekend and lifeguards will be on high alert as up to one million people flock to beaches across the state.

“With hot conditions forecast, we have a very simple message for anyone heading to the coast,” Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steven Pearce warned today.

“Enjoy the weekend but make sure that if you’re heading to the beach, visit a patrolled location and only swim between the red and yellow flags.”