Great white shark dies after washing up on Kingscliff Beach

Beachgoers were stunned to see one of nature’s apex predators, a white pointer shark, up close. (Supplied: Cathy Border)

A 3.5-metre great white shark has shocked beachgoers on the New South Wales far north coast after washing ashore at a popular tourist spot on Monday morning.

Lifeguards became aware of the distressed shark swimming close to shore and tracked its progress until it became beached.

Shark specialists from Sea World on the Gold Coast were called to the scene to assess the shark.

Sea World shark bay supervisor Siobhan Houlihan said the shark appeared to be a mature female.

“We’ve come down to see if there’s anything that we can do to help this animal,” she said.

“Unfortunately, as we’ve got here, she’s beached herself and is not in a good way.”

The shark was later euthanised on the beach.

“She will be removed from the beach and taken to fisheries, where they’ll do a full necropsy and take some samples and find out what has caused this unfortunate event to happen,” Ms Houlihan said.

She said it was extremely unusual for sharks to beach themselves.

“I would say that there’s something sinister going on inside,” Ms Houlihan said.

“She could be diseased or have ingested something she shouldn’t.”

Lifeguards had been tracking the shark’s progress as it floundered off the coast.

“We were notified this morning that there was a sick shark swimming close to shore,” Northern NSW Lifeguard coordinator Scott McCartney said.

“It is a shame; it is never good seeing animals sick and dying like this.”

He said the sighting of a great white was unusual.

“We do see them out the back of the surf but for one to be sick and wash up here this is definitely a first,” he said.

The rare sight attracted a large group of people including Jack Mumford, 6.

“People were patting it because it had a stomach-ache,” he said.

“I am going to tell the kids at school how big it is.”

Kingscliff resident Rhonda Mitchell, 78, said she was enjoying her morning walk when she spotted the creature.

“I saw the shark in the shallows getting washed around, I could see it flapping in the water,” she said.

“It is very unusual to see a shark up close, you know they’re there, but you don’t usually see them.”

The shark remains have been taken to Coffs Harbour for a necropsy.