This summer has been slow in Sydney in terms of shark sightings. In the last few days there were a few incidents involving sharks including a lifeguard's board getting a chunk bitten out of it and a beach being closed down for 20 minutes. Other than these though, there has been abnormally low shark sightings.

IT'S a shark that hunts with its tail - not its teeth - and has the distinction of being described as "clever" in 380BC by the Greek philosopher Aristotle.

But this stunning 2.7m thresher shark - caught and released yesterday near the entrance to Sydney Harbour - is one of few large sharks seen by experienced fishermen in Sydney waters this spring and summer.

A small shark was spotted off Manly soon after 3pm yesterday and lifeguards ordered swimmers back to the beach while a jetski patrolled beyond the break. The 1m shark vanished and the beach reopened after 20 minutes.

Despite yesterday's sighting, and attacks on surfers at Dee Why and Diamond Head last week, Sydney fishing guides said they had seen very few sharks this season.

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