Mysterious, black, and ball-shaped.
That was the description given by Australia's city council when they found the strange debris on the shores of Coogee Beach in Sydney, Australia on Oct. 15.
The sphere-liked debris has led to Randwick City Council to issue an order to beachgoers to avoid the area until further notice.
Black balls were discovered on the afternoon of Oct. 15
The council said in a Facebook post that lifeguards discovered the black balls washed along the length of Coogee Beach on the afternoon of Oct. 15.
The council's environmental officers have collected samples for testing and reported the incident to the Environment Protection Australia (EPA) and Beachwatch NSW, which are Australia's government organisations aimed at safeguarding the nation's environment.
Randwick City Council is investigating the origin and composition of the material.
"At this stage, it is unknown what the material is, however, they may be ‘tar balls’ which are formed when oil comes in to contact with debris and water, typically the result of oil spills or seepage," the council stated.
The beach is closed until further notice while the council safely removed the spheres.
The council is also inspecting other nearby beaches.
Coogee Beach is the only beach known to be affected at this stage.
Randwick Council Mayor Dylan Parker told NewsWire on Oct. 16 that early indications of the material analysis point to an oil spill out at sea.
Parker said hopefully a clearer indication of what the "tar balls" are will be known within the next two days.
What are tar balls?
Tar balls are remnant oil deposits that have hardened and mixed with sand.
The balls can range from the size of pebbles to a fist.
An oil spill recently occurred in June 2024 in the waters off mainland Singapore after an accident between two ships near Pasir Panjang Terminal.
It led to oil remnants trapped in areas such as coastal features, waterside infrastructures, and rock bunds.
Heavily impacted places included Sentosa's Tanjong and Palawan beaches.
Areas such as Sentosa's Siloso Beach and certain stretches of East Coast Park were also affected, though not as badly.
NParks announced the clean-up of the oil spill at beaches in East Coast Park to be completed and all beaches there reopened on Aug. 11.
Top image via Randwick City Council/Facebook
