British tourist faces hefty fine after jumping into Sydney Harbour near the Opera House

British tourist ‘slapped with fine of up to $10,000’ for leaping into Sydney Harbour next to the Opera House – but Aussies are more worried by the threat of SHARKS lurking in the water

  • A British tourist jumped into Sydney Harbour
  • He was told the fine for the stunt was $10,000 

Aussies have ripped into a young British tourist for jumping from one of Sydney’s most popular bars into the harbour.

Footage of the man leaping from Opera Bar, just metres from the city’s iconic Opera House, in his undies was shared online last week.

But the thing that shocked viewers the most wasn’t the daring stunt but instead the hefty fine the traveller could have been met with after returning from the water.

Security helped the man back over the harbour ledge before telling him the risky trick could set him back $10,000.

A young British tourist was handed a hefty fine for jumping into Sydney Harbour near the Opera House (pictured, the swimmer climbing out of the water)

‘Well there’s a very good reason why you’ve never seen anyone jump into the sea from the Opera House… I’ll show you why,’ a clip by TikToker Future Travellers said.

The video then cuts to the clothed swimmer talking to a group of police officers.

However, several commenters said the jaw-dropping fine is the least dangerous part of jumping into the busy harbour.

‘I’m a Sydney gal and it’s not the $10,000 that scares me, it’s the huge bull sharks that lurk in those waters,’ one commenter wrote.

‘It’s a busy shipping lane and if it was full of floating tourists the ferries couldn’t run,’ another said.

‘I’m sure if he got run over by ferry his family would be suing NSW government for compensation,’ a third person wrote. 

Other commenters were rightly skeptical of the expensive fine.

The actual fine for swimming around the Opera House is a maximum of $1,100 with the law stating a person must not ‘swim to and enter on any part of the Opera House premises or swim from any part of those premises’. 

A security guard from the Opera Bar told the British tourist he would face a $10,000 fine (pictured, the tourist with police after jumping in the harbour)

A security guard from the Opera Bar told the British tourist he would face a $10,000 fine (pictured, the tourist with police after jumping in the harbour)

Footage of the incident was shared last week and earlier this month (pictured, the tourist jumping into the harbour)

Footage of the incident was shared last week and earlier this month (pictured, the tourist jumping into the harbour)

Dozens more commenters were impressed by the young tourist’s jump and slammed NSW for being a ‘nanny state’.

‘Welcome to Sydney, please do not do anything,’ one person commented. 

‘This guy is an absolute legend,’ another wrote. 

‘Only $10,000 per dip? It’s probably cheaper to live in the harbour than some apartments. Sign me up,’ a third commenter joked. 

‘Australia has a fine for everything,’ another said. 

Earlier footage of the stunt was shared alongside a montage of the tourist showing his British mum around Australia.

The first video left viewers amazed with one commenter writing: ‘In all my life living in Sydney I’ve never seen anyone jump in at the opera house!’ 

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