Schooling fish lure sharks to NSW coast

Several sharks lured by a giant school of fish on the NSW north coast remain close to shore as school holidays continue.

The "baitball", as it was named by NSW Department of Primary Industries, was a feast attracting not only sharks but a Brydes whale at Tuncurry, near Forster when it was captured on camera on Tuesday.

Since then a number of white sharks, bull sharks and hundreds of whaler sharks have been spotted along the coast from Seal Rocks to Nine Mile Beach.

While the large ball of baitfish appears to have moved offshore a DPI spokesman said swimmers should still be aware.

"There are still many sharks close to shore, especially between Forster and Seven Mile Beach, Smiths Lake," he said in a statement to AAP on Thursday.

"Be shark smart, avoid swimming or surfing in areas with large numbers of baitfish and avoid swimming or surfing at dawn or dusk."