Bowentown’s beach was closed off to swimmers on Saturday after a bronze whaler was spotted swimming about 50m offshore.

Surf Lifesaving New Zealand lifeguard supervisor Nick Wagstaff said the 1.5m shark “swam right by the flags about 50m offshore” this morning when lifeguards made the call to get swimmers out of the water.

“It went down the beach then came back about 20 minutes later. The lifeguards did get people out of the water and closed the beach for about an hour.”

He did not know exactly what time the shark was first spotted.

Wagstaff said beaches across the Bay of Plenty were busy today, estimating there were about 200-300 at the northern end of Waihi Beach.

“There is a bit of swell and the sun’s out - so people are getting out of their baches.”

He said swimmers should ensure they swam between the flags as a precaution as it was where lifeguards had “eyes on the water”.

Speaking to the Bay of Plenty Times on Saturday afternoon, shark scientist Dr Riley Elliot it was the first he had heard of the encounter but was not surprised given the number of people hitting Bay of Plenty beaches.

“Today’s the first sunny day in a long time. When you put that many more people in the water, we are going to see sharks.”

He said it was important beachgoers “react with respect” in these situations and was pleased to hear people left the water after the shark was spotted.

“It’s good people respect sharks to let them do their thing, but it’s also good to see people are out there enjoying summer that’s been quite rare and fickle.”

Shark scientist Dr Riley Elliott received a Department of Conservation permit in June to track and satellite-tag 20 great white sharks, with the project allowing people to see where the animals are travelling through a live app.

The project is driven by funding and support from the public and is hosted by the Sustainable Ocean Society — a non-profit organisation established by Elliot and a group of his friends.