Tourist faces $10k fine for jumping into iconic harbour
Footage surfaced online of the man leaping from Opera Bar, just a few metres away from the Opera House.
While his jump was certainly surprising, what shocked viewers was the hefty fine the tourist could be slapped with following his return from the water.
Security helped the man back over the harbour ledge before telling him the risky stunt could see him $10,000 poorer.
“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,' Future Travellers said in a TikTok clip.
In a second TikTok, the young man is seen talking to a group of police officers.
However, a number of viewers commenting about the eye-watering fine also noted it was the least of the swimmer’s worries.
"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 person 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 added.
Others were skeptical of the large fine.
The official 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”.
Several others were impressed by the young man’s jump and slammed NSW for being a “nanny state”.
“Welcome to Sydney, please do not do anything,” one person remarked.
“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 joked.
“Australia has a fine for everything,” another claimed.
Earlier footage of the risky trick was shared alongside a montage of the tourist showing his British mum around Australia.
The first video left viewers astounded with one writing, “In all my life living in Sydney I've never seen anyone jump in at the opera house!”
Image credit: TikTok