Three Far North Coast beaches in NSW have been closed after a shark had a close encounter with a surfer. The surfer was reportedly knocked off their board at Flat Rock in East Ballina, about 30 minutes south of Byron Bay, on Thursday morning, Surf Life Saving NSW said. The incident comes after 12-year-old boy Nico Antic died from injuries sustained in a bull shark attack at Vaucluse on January 18. Later the same day, 27-year-old surfer Andre de Ruyter, was dragged underwater during a shark attack at Manly Beach just after 6pm. After the spate of incidents, an extra $4.2 million was added to NSW beach safety programs, including shark tagging and monitoring and the installation of listening stations in the harbour.