Shark spotting: Boaties capture shark leaping from water at Man O’ War Bay, Waiheke

Boaties at Man O’ War Bay on Waiheke have had a Boxing Day surprise after spotting a shark leaping around the bay this afternoon.

Footage of the sighting, provided to the Herald, shows the shark jumping from the water in full view of the nearby vessel.

The sighting, which occurred at 4pm today, comes a week after a 21-year-old woman was attacked by a shark while wading in knee-deep water in Southland.

She was placed in intensive care after undergoing surgery and faces a “long recovery”, her mother told the Herald.

Southland Police said the woman was walking through the water in an estuary near the Riverton rugby grounds when she was bitten by the shark.

“She received a significant laceration to her leg that required treatment from emergency services,” a police statement said.

“The culprit is possibly a sevengill shark, which is present in the estuary. The time of day is a possible factor.”

The victim’s mother told the Herald this afternoon that her daughter “has a long recovery ahead of her”.

“She is in ICU under the care of my brother and she is doing well after surgery.”

The family flew to Invercargill to be with the victim at Southland Hospital.

“We are from Riverton, so this will hit the community hard as this is an area that many people take their children to.”

Last week swimmers were also asked to leave the water at popular Auckland swimming beach Long Bay after members of the public spotted a shark nearby.

A person at the beach said lifeguards blew their whistles and recommended people leave the water around 3.30pm.

“The lifeguard said they can’t stop people going in, but they recommended you hop out of the water - so everyone’s hopped out of the water,” she said.

She said by 3.45pm, a handful of brave people had already returned to the water.