Busselton Ironman swim canned after shark spotted

The Busselton Ironman swim leg has been abandoned with a shark spotted as some competitors were in the water.

Those in the water at the time were forced to climb out onto the Busselton Jetty while others closer to shore were told to swim back in.

Lifeguards ensured all swimmers made it safely back to shore, while the helicopter circled above.

According to Surf Life Saving WA, the 2m shark was spotted around 600 metres offshore at 5.40am.

In a statement posted to social media, Ironman Western Australia confirmed the 3.8km swim leg would be closed with pro male and female competitors to start the event from the swim exit.

The decision to cancel the swim leg proved controversial with race fans and competitors taking to social media.

“Weak call. Just move the shark on and race as normal,” Paul Roberts commented.

“So then this would not be classed as Ironman but a dualathon,” Donna Cameron said.

“All the finishers are not Ironman finishers now,” Michael McKinnon posted.

It remains unclear if the event points will now count for the pros, given it was shortened to a 180km bike and 42km run leg.

It’s not the first time a shark has disrupted WA Ironman proceedings, with race organisers cutting the Busselton 70.3 Ironman short in May.

Despite the shark scare on Sunday, the State Government has confirmed it is committed to keeping the event in Busselton until at least 2020.

“The State Government, through Tourism WA, is proud to support IRONMAN Western Australia for a further three years,” Tourism Minister Paul Papalia said.

“This event has been running in WA since 2004 and continues to attract thousands of visitors to the State each year.

“Last year’s event attracted 4098 out-of-State visitors, including competitors and spectators, resulting in about $8.3 million of direct expenditure to the State.”