Shark researcher Blair Ranford is furious that surfers were not adequately warned about three sharks off a popular South West beach yesterday, saying it was “a perfect storm for a third attack”.

Mr Ranford and other local residents had to craft a handmade sign warning surfers away from Injidup beach after three sharks, including two great whites, were spotted.

Vision from Mr Ranford’s drone yesterday captured two 3m-3.5m great whites, a bronze whaler and a school of salmon at the popular surfing spot south of Yallingup and not far from Gracetown, which was the site of two shark attacks this week.

But despite being reported on Surf Life Saving WA’s Twitter feed, there were no signs posted at the beach and Mr Ranford had to stop several surfers entering the water.

A wobbegong carcass and salmon carcass were left behind by a fisherman, which nearby sharks could smell because they were half in the water.

“There were three sharks, there’s a school of salmon ... you’ve just got a perfect storm of conditions for sharks,” Mr Ranford said.

“The bare minimum you’ve got to do is to put a sign on that beach — ‘great whites in the area, don’t go in the water’. It was a perfect storm for a third attack.”

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Mr Ranford said a warning should have been posted at the beach not just yesterday but also on Tuesday, when the SLSWA helicopter spotted and reported a 3.5m shark 20m off Injidup.

Although the shark was reported on the SLSWA Twitter feed, he said a lack of reception meant surfers could not check online.

A shark warning was issued for Smiths beach to Injidup beach yesterday afternoon, citing six shark sightings since Sunday.

Instead of talking about shark culls and other extreme measures, Mr Ranford said the focus should be “getting the basics right”, including posting signs at beaches where great whites had been spotted and fishermen doing the right thing and cleaning up.

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Department of Primary Industries shark operations spokesman Russell Adams said water and land patrols were conducted yesterday after the 3.5m white shark was reported. Fisheries officers were also sent to do land patrols between Smiths and Injidup beaches.