Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old teacher and mother of a one-year-old daughter, has spoken her first words after emerging from a coma 10 days following a shark attack at Sydney's Coogee beach. Stewart told her mother and partner, 'I love you,' after being brought out of an induced coma on Tuesday, according to her brother Josh Stewart.
Surgeries and Recovery
Stewart was bitten by a great white shark on 13 June. She has undergone five days of surgeries, including an arm amputation, with additional procedures expected. Her brother wrote on a fundraising page: 'After a week of life-support and repeat surgeries, doctors were able to extubate Leah and reduce her level of sedation to bring her out of the induced coma for a short period of time. Her first thoughts were with her daughter … and wanted to check she was OK.' He described her progress as 'a miracle' and faster than anticipated.
Stewart remains in intensive care. A GoFundMe page set up to cover medical costs and support her family has raised over $488,000 in donations.
Heightened Shark Activity
The attack has intensified concerns about shark presence off Sydney's coast. A drone video on social media appeared to show a great white shark close to shore at Bondi beach early Wednesday morning, with another sighting reported on Tuesday. Lifeguards closed the beach as a precaution. The New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (DPI) stated: 'This is not an uncommon occurrence at this time of year … White sharks are present over a wide range of sea surface temperatures from 10-27C.' The DPI noted that most juvenile white sharks move northward along the NSW coast in late autumn and early winter.
Separately, a tiger shark was detected at Bondi on Tuesday afternoon, having been tagged at Maroubra earlier that day. Bondi was also briefly closed on Sunday due to a shark sighting.
Premier Promises 'World-Leading' Drones
The attack has revived calls to cull shark populations, but NSW Premier Chris Minns stated that great whites are protected and cannot be targeted. He announced plans to deploy 'world-leading' shark drones across more beaches, saying: 'We'll be using technology that's available, but hasn't been rolled out at scale anywhere in the world … We'll be first.' The DPI confirmed one Surf Life Saving drone is flown at Bondi daily from 7:30am to 4pm, with others covering Tamarama, Bronte, Coogee, and Maroubra. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority has granted a temporary exemption for aerial surveillance at Coogee, located about 8km from Sydney airport.
Expert Advice
Marine biologist and shark expert Professor Rob Harcourt said it is 'unlikely' the same shark is responsible for multiple sightings, as sharks move over large areas. He advised swimmers to use patrolled beaches and avoid swimming alone: 'You're less likely to spot an animal that's coming in, whereas if you're swimming in a group, there's more eyes in the water. And I'll say, you're more intimidating to the predator.' Harcourt endorsed drone surveillance as the most 'cost effective' way to protect people 'without causing any harm to the environment.'
Shark nets, temporarily removed during the winter whale migration, are due to be reinstalled in September.
