âSaw finsâ: Shark attack at Coogee Beach
A female swimmer doing laps near the shore of Sydneyâs Coogee Beach has been attacked by a shark and is fighting for her life.
Emergency services have rushed to Coogee Beach in Sydney following a horrific shark attack on a woman swimming close to shore on Saturday morning.
A witness told news.com.au the attack happened at 11.10am.
âA lifeguard on a surfboard rushed over to attend when screams were heard. I saw the sharkâs fins,â she said.
âA swimmer was doing laps not far from shore. The lifeguard made an X symbol with his arms and the shark alarm soundedâ.
The witness said there was âa lot of bloodâ in the water, that it appeared the swimmer had been bitten on the torso and lifeguards were commencing CPR.
A shark attack has taken place at Coogee Beach this morning.
The woman was with two other swimmers doing laps before the attack happened, according to the Daily Telegraph.
Witnesses said they heard someone yelling: âSharkâ before hearing the screams.
One witness said the shark was up to 3.5m in length, describing it as âthe size of a carâ.
A video sent to news.com.au shows a large amount of blood in the water just metres from the busy shoreline. A paddleboarder is attempted to move away from the area as a swimmer also clears the water.
Emergency services have rushed to Coogee Beach in Sydney following a horrific shark attack on a woman swimming close to shore on Saturday morning.
A witness told news.com.au the attack happened at 11.10am.
âA lifeguard on a surfboard rushed over to attend when screams were heard. I saw the sharkâs fins,â she said.
âA swimmer was doing laps not far from shore. The lifeguard made an X symbol with his arms and the shark alarm soundedâ.
The witness said there was âa lot of bloodâ in the water, that it appeared the swimmer had been bitten on the torso and lifeguards were commencing CPR.
NSW Police said the woman was bitten just before 11.15am.
âThe woman was pulled from the water by members of the public who commenced first aid before the arrival of emergency services,â a spokesperson said.
âPolice rendered first aid to the woman, believed to be aged in her 30s, who has suffered serious arm and leg injuries, before NSW Ambulance paramedics attended.
âPolice cleared nearby Coogee Oval to facilitate the landing of the Careflight helicopter to airlift the woman to hospital.â
In a statement a Waverley Council spokesperson said they had closed all its beaches following the attack as a precaution.
âBeaches will remain closed until further notice,â it read.
âSwimmers and surfers are urged to avoid the water and follow all signage and lifeguard directions.â
Dr Chris Pepin-Neff shark policy expert at the University of Sydney said the attack was âvery, very strangeâ for a number of reasons.
Based on the relatively cooler 18 degree water temperature, recent shark movements and sightings and the nature of the attack Dr Pepin-Neff said his educated assumption is that the shark involved was a Great White Shark.
He also noted SMART drumlines are still in place at the beach.
âPeople think because the shark nets are out thereâs no protection, that isnât the case.â
Map of shark nets when they are in, Maroubra also has a net in. Picture: Randwick Council
Shark nets came out of the beach about a month and a half ago with the Randwick council website stating ânets are installed at Coogee and Maroubra beaches from 1 September to 30 April, covering most of spring, summer and autumnâ.
These nets are not a complete barrier to sharks at 150m long and 6 metres deep with a mesh size of 60cms. They sit approximately 4m below the surface of the water within 500m of the shore.
It is understood the swimmer was between the flags when they were attacked.
It comes months after a spike shark attack with four people attacked by sharks in NSW over a 48-hour period in mid-late January, including a fatal attack on 12-year-old Nico Antic.
In late April Surf Life Saving NSW announced all 129 surf clubs along the NSW coast would be fitted with a new Shark Bite Trauma Kit, to help provide immediate and critical care in the event of a shark attack.
