Woman fighting for life after Sydney shark attack
A woman is fighting for life after a shark attack at Sydney’s Coogee Beach this morning.
Emergency crews were called to the popular beach in the city’s eastern suburbs at about 11.15am after the 35-year-old was bitten while swimming.
A woman has been attacked by a shark at Coogee Beach. Supplied
The woman was pulled from the water by lifeguards and members of the public, who gave her first aid including applying tourniquets.
An off-duty critical care doctor had stabilised her before paramedics arrived.
She had been swimming between the flags when she encountered a shark of “three to four metres”, according to Randwick Council.
The victim was taken to St Vincent’s Hospital in a critical condition after suffering serious injuries to her arm and leg.
“She has significant injuries to her left lower leg and also her upper arms,” NSW Ambulance Inspector Mike Corlis said.
“Good lifesaving actions by everybody that was involved, people applied tourniquets to both her arm and leg before the first paramedics arrived.”
A local swimmer told nine.com.au: “I think the woman had been doing laps in the ocean beforehand, then there was a lot of splashing and trashing around.
“There was a huge amount of blood in the water.
“I can’t remember a shark attack here for years.
“Such a sad day for Coogee.”
Another local, Cooper Smeaton, a surf lifesaver, told 9News he saw the victim being brought off the beach amid a “big emergency scene”.
A rescue helicopter after a woman was attacked by a shark at Coogee beach in Sydney. 9News
“I really feel for her, especially out of nowhere, it would be quite shocking.”
Steve Denneny had been swimming just moments earlier and sent his drone up.
He heard the shark alarm go off and saw blood in the water.
He spotted the culprit, which he believes was a great white.
“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.”
Police were seen speaking to a group of friends of the women.
Welfare services are being sent to the beach to support witnesses.
Randwick mayor Dylan Parker said lifeguards and volunteer lifesavers were among those who paddled out to help the victim.
“This is quite a shocking incident” he told 9News.
He said locals are “shaken up”.
“It is the first major shark attack in the last couple of years,” he said.
“Very, very sad to have seen it happen again.”
Surf Lifesaving NSW said the woman was “semi-conscious and breathing” when she was rushed to hospital.
Crowds at Coogee Beach after the attack. 9News
“We are sending our best wishes to the woman involved and her family at this time, after another terrible shark incident on our coastline,” Surf Life Saving NSW CEO Steve Pearce said.
While the official patrol season ended in April, it has surveillance drones flying over 14 beaches until the end of the month.
Coogee wasn’t one of them.
Council lifeguards and off-duty lifesavers were at the beach, however.
“Additional drone surveillance has been organised for Bondi-Bronte today and tomorrow, with further flights in the area to be assessed,” the statement said.
Coogee as well as neighbouring beaches Clovelly, Bronte, Maroubra have all been closed following the attack, Randwick City Council said on Facebook.
“Our thoughts are with the victim, their family and everyone affected by today’s incident at Coogee Beach,” the announcement said.
Police have said multiple other beaches have been shut in response to the attack. 9News
It could be 24 or even 48 hours until they’re reopened.
Neighbouring beaches including Bondi have also been closed in response, Waverley Council confirmed.
“Do not go into the water” it posted on Facebook.
While winter, the beach was busy with swimmers and walkers on a sunny Saturday morning.
String of shark attacks across Australia
The attack is the latest in a string of shark maulings in Australia this year.
In the past 12 months there have been six fatal shark attacks in Australia, including two in Sydney.
Nico Antic, 12, died after an attack by a bull shark after jumping off rocks at Neilson Park, near Shark Beach, in Vaucluse on January 18.
He was one of four victims attacked by sharks in 48 hours after wild weather.
Andre de Ruyter, 27, lost a leg in an attack on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
Days later, 39-year-old Paul Zvirzdinas received minor injuries after his board and wetsuit were bitten by a shark at Point Plomer near Port Macquarie.
An 11-year-old boy also had a lucky escape at Dee Why Beach after a shark bit his board.
A 57-year-old surfer, Mercury Psillakis, was killed at Long Reef Beach in Dee Why in September.
An attack off Little Bay in 2022 was the first shark fatality in 59 years in Sydney.
Last month a man died after he was bitten by a suspected 4.5-metre shark off the coast of Albany in Western Australia’s south.
It followed another fatality at Rottnest Island near Perth.
Steven Mattaboni died after he was attacked while spearfishing.
Another man, 39-year-old Michael Jensz, was killed by a shark off the coast of Far North Queensland this year.
There has not been a fatal shark attack at Coogee in more than 100 years.
But in 1922, the beach gained a macabre reputation.
Over that summer, two young men were killed in quick succession by sharks at the beach.
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