A shaft seal for a rotating machine having a rotating shaft includes a support ring, surrounding the shaft, supported by a casing. The support ring includes a plurality of movable ring segments and fixed ring segments adjoining each other in a circumferential direction of the support ring. The movable ring segments are biased away from the shaft by biasing members provided at circumferential ends of the fixed ring segments. Sealing fins and sealing sheets are disposed along the inner periphery of the support ring.
