Golfers playing at the Carbrook Golf Club near Brisbane, Australia have more than just the usual hazards to worry about as they tee-off at the 14th, where a wayward shot might just see them land in shark-infested water!
With the exception of the occasional alligator in water hazards in Florida, the most dangerous things the average golfer faces are being hit by a wayward drive or worse still, being seen in public in pastel-coloured plus-fours, but Carbrook has added a whole new dimension to just how hazardous a water hazard can be – they are populated by Bull sharks.
The sharks are not in the 21 hectare lake by choice, but neither is their appearance part of some desperate plot by a criminal mastermind to finally do away with Sean Connery now he's retired from being 007 – instead they were washed into the lake in the early 1990's after the nearby Logan River burst its banks.
Once the floodwaters receded, six of the sharks were left and have established themselves in this unusual abode with the largest growing to around 3m/10'. The sharks have become a major attraction with the club hosting a monthly tournament called 'The Shark Lake Challenge' but any golfer unlucky enough to lose their ball in the lake is unlikely to get it back.
Bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas) are considered to be among the most dangerous shark species, largely due to their ability to live in both salt and freshwater. They are distributed worldwide in warm, shallow coastal waters, estuaries and rivers and will eat just about anything they come in contact with.
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