Sharks clear beach, frighten searchers

Omaha beach, north of Auckland, was closed for an hour yesterday after three large sharks were spotted in the water by a helicopter.

Climatech Lifeguard patrol captain Jamie Piggins said: "We couldn't find them and then a huge 12-foot [3.6m] shark passed right underneath our inflatable rescue boat."

The sharks were believed to be makos ranging from 2m to 3m long.

On Saturday lifeguards at Northland's Waipu beach also had to get swimmers out of the water when sharks were spotted.