CANBERRA, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Shark sightings in the Australian state of Victoria have spiked the day after a 69-year-old man fought off a shark by punching it in the nose.
With Victoria celebrating Labour Day on Monday with a public holiday and unseasonably warm weather, Victorians flocked to the state's beaches on Saturday and Sunday.
Revellers were not alone in the water, however, lifesavers on Victoria's Surf Coast reported four shark sightings on Saturday ranging from one to two meters in length.
At least two bronze whalers and two hammerhead sharks were identified by spotters in helicopters.
Spotters in the area were put on high alert for the weekend after Robert Frostland, 69, was attacked by a 3.5 meter shark in the area on Friday.
Frostland was finishing his daily ocean swim at 4 p.m. local time on Friday when he spotted the shark heading straight for him.
"The water was crystal clear so I could see it clearly," Frostland told reporters on Saturday.
"First thing I saw the fin, just circle around me and then it came straight at me.
"I punched it; I was just treading water, waiting for it each time, six or seven times, just punched it each time.
"It swam around and came back and I was waiting for the jaw to open."
There were 15 unprovoked shark attacks in Australian waters in 2017, resulting in nine injuries and one fatality.
