A school of hammerhead sharks spotted off Palm Beach in Sydney's north has forced lifesavers to close it down.
At least 10 baby sharks were seen at around 10am on Tuesday by Surf Life Saving NSW Uncrewed Aerial Vehicle (UAV) or drone operators.
"The pilot who was flying a UAV in Palm Beach spotted 10 juvenile hammerhead sharks just off the coast and immediately alerted the patrol, which resulted in the beach being closed for a period of time," SLS NSW Operations Manager Brent Manieri told AAP.
"The sharks were not large at all but it was more due to the fact that at this time of year we've got a large number of people recreating along our coastline and Palm Beach numbers were quite large".
The iconic beach has been popularised for being the backdrop to long-running Australian series 'Home and Away'.
But Mr Manieri said that sharks being spotted so close to the coastline was rare, with 32,000 drone flights taken last year recording 180 shark sightings across the whole state's coast.
The beach's closure comes days after an off-duty police officer died while rescuing his teenage son caught in a rip at a secluded beach near Naroom on the South Coast on New Year's day.
Police identified him on Monday as 44-year-old Sergeant Peter Stone.
NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb extended condolences to the Blue Mountains officer.
"Sergeant Stone was well-liked by all those who knew him, and we are not surprised by his selfless actions," Commissioner Webb said on Tuesday.
The national summer drowning toll has risen to 26 after a string of drownings across three states during the New Year break.
