By Terin Frodyma on SwimSwam
The Sydney Harbor Splash, an Australia Day open water event in Vancluse (west of Sydney), has been cancelled following four shark attacks over a three-day span along the coast of New South Wales.
2026’s Sydney Harbor Splash was set to take place on January 26th, also known as Australia Day, marking the 10th time the event has been held, with swimmers beginning at Rose Bay and offering 1km, 2.5km, and 5km options.
The beaches along the mid-north coast had received reports of four separate shark attacks in three days, leading organizers of the event to cancel, following one of the attacks, which involved a 12-year-old boy being critically injured.
According to the New Zealand Herald, the first attack, that of the 12-year-old boy, was bitten by a bull shark on a Sydney Harbour beach on Sunday afternoon, leaving him with critical injuries to both legs.
The following day, an 11-year-old boy was knocked off his board at Dee Why beach, narrowly escaping with no injuries, but he did have a bite taken out of the board.
The third happened later that same day, as a 27-year-old man was bitten on the calf at North Steyne, just over six kilometers (3.79 miles) from Dee Why beach. According to a report from the New Zealand Herald, the man was rushed to the hospital in critical condition after losing large amounts of blood.
According to ABC News Australia, a group of surfers in Point Plomer had reportedly seen four sharks before a man was knocked off his board, and was later found with a chunk bitten out of his board, and bite marks through his wetsuit, but was only treated for minor cuts. This attack marked the fourth in 72 hours.
According to NBC News, organizers of the events said on Monday the cancellation comes “out of deep respect for the young boy who was tragically attacked yesterday, and for his family and friends.”
On average, Australia records an average of 20 injury-causing shark attacks annually, and fewer than three deaths from shark attacks. In 2025, Australia had reported 23 shark bite incidents, with 2026 having already recorded five through the first three weeks of the calendar year; no deaths have yet been reported.
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