Surf instructors maintain the risk of shark attacks on the NSW south coast are low despite a recent string of incidents in Australia and overseas.
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The vision of jaws emerging from the deep has lingered in the minds of Australians this week.
People were glued to footage of three-time world champion Mick Fanning surviving a shark attack during the finals of the J-Bay Open World Surf League event in South Africa on Tuesday, and were rocked by news on Saturday morning that a recreational scallop diver was killed by a shark at Lachlan Point off Maria Island on Tasmania's east coast.
Former pro-surfer Shane Wehner stood up on a board for the first time at North Broulee beach.
After a decade surfing the most gnarly breaks on the planet, the Broulee Surf School head coach said Australia's south coast beaches were among the world's safest.
"This is a very low risk area for sharks," he said.
"At places like Ballina, Byron Bay and at Jefferys Bay in South Africa the continental shelf is relatively close to the shoreline. There you get really powerful surf but it means traffic of sea life is just a lot closer."
Wehner competed at Jefferys Bay in the 1990s when he was ranked 35th in the World Surf League.
"I was actually a pro surfer when Mick Fanning was a young up-and-comer," he said. "I know him well and it was a bit distressing to see what happened on the TV that day.
"All my mates that know him well and that surf on the world circuit were pretty rattled by it."
Minutes after being rescued Fanning told reporters he was able to get a punch in during the flurry, but Wehner said there was no way to prepare surfers, of any age or experience, for an attack.
"It's not something you would broach in a surf lesson," he said. "That's like saying, 'What would you do if you were having a car accident?' It's not something we can teach."
Only months ago on January 16, Mollymook teen Sam Smith's hand was bitten by a 1.5 metre shark while spearfishing at Bannister Head near Mollymook Beach.
Mollymook Beach Surf School operator Geoff Hansen said January's attack had affected local trade.
"People in Germany had heard about it," he said. "But along with the headline you have to fully explain how rare and unlikely it is. You look at what is killing people in the world and shark attacks are at the very bottom of the list after lightning strikes and coconuts falling on people's heads."
The risk of rips and currents, collisions with others in the water, and even not wearing sun protection posed a higher risk.
"Skin cancer has got to be a way higher risk for surfers," he said.
"We have to point out that sharks are predators and we are in their environment but the chances are virtually zero of getting attacked by a shark when you look at how many people go swimming and surfing."
