The end of Australia’s long summer school holidays usually draws crowds to the beach but a spate of shark attacks in the country’s most populous state has triggered warnings to stay out of the water.

A 12-year-old boy is fighting for his life after a catastrophic shark attack in Sydney Harbor. He was rescued by heroic friends who leaped from a cliff to save him.

A surfer was attacked one day after a large shark bit a 12-year-old boy in the legs, leaving him fighting for survival in a hospital.

Spate of incidents involving sharks across Sydney and New South Wales have rattled even the most seasoned surfers and beachgoers