Shark seen swimming by beach after woman critically bitten in ‘waist-high water’
A chilling video captures a shark, believed to be the same one that’s left a 35-year-old woman in a critical condition, at a Sydney beach following the attack.
Drone footage shows the shark lurking in the water off Coogee Beach in Sydney’s eastern suburbs on Saturday morning.
Stephen Dennehy from One Shot Creative saw a shark on his drone in the water at Coogee Beach after the attack. One Shot Creative
Steve Denneny had been swimming just moments earlier and was at the beach with his partner and dog.
He heard the shark alarm go off and saw blood in the water and went to get his drone.
He says he believed he spotted the shark involved in the attacked on his footage and thinks it was a great white, up to six or even eight meters long.
“It was such a nice day and then to just see it all unfold, it was so horrific,” he told 9News.
“For a good half an hour afterwards it was just hanging around.
“It was doing like laps up and down.
“From what I captured it looks like a pretty big shark.”
Denneny lives in Coogee and often films whales in the ocean, so he thought it was particularly “horrific” to see what unfolded.
“Prayers are to the family affected to this,” he said.
“The first thing my partner did was lit a candle and prayed for them.
Sheets and towels were held up to try and shield the shark attack victim from view in Sydney. 9News
“You don’t expect sharks in these conditions.”
He said the 35-year-old woman was only 20 to 30 metres offshore when the incident took place.
“I reckon it could have been waist-high water,” he said.
“It’s just crazy.”
Denneny, who runs One Shot Creative, said he filmed a shark a few months ago and was able to alert authorities to set off the alarm.
Emergency crews were called to the popular beach in the city’s eastern suburbs at about 11.15am after the woman was bitten while swimming.
A rescue helicopter after a woman was attacked by a shark at Coogee beach in Sydney. 9News
The woman was pulled from the water by lifeguards and members of the public who gave her first aid including applying tourniquets.
Randwick mayor Dylan Parker said lifeguards, volunteer lifesavers and locals were among those who paddled out to help the victim.
An off-duty critical care doctor had stabilised her before paramedics arrived.
The victim was taken to hospital by road in a critical condition after suffering serious injuries to her arm and leg.
Ambulance NSW confirmed it treated a woman in her 30s with “significant” arm and leg injuries to St Vincent’s Hospital.
She is in a critical condition, a spokeswoman said.
Multiple police officers were also on the scene helping.
“This is quite a shocking incident” he told 9News.
All the beaches from Bondi to Maroubra have been closed with locals told to stay out of the water.
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