A woman was attacked by an 11-foot white shark while swimming off a popular beach near Sydney, Australia. The unnamed 35-year-old sustained severe injuries to her arms and legs after the apex predator struck approximately 100 feet from the shore at Coogee Beach.
Attack Details
The woman was swimming with two friends at around 11:15 a.m. local time when the shark pulled her underwater. Lifeguard Charlie Verco rescued the swimmer on his 18-foot paddleboard. He told Sydney's Sunday Telegraph he was shocked by the sheer size of the shark as it rose out of the water.
“I kept paddling towards her and the shark took her underwater and I was going: ‘What do I do now?’ A couple of seconds later, she popped up again,” Verco said.
Witness Account
Dr. Ian Ferguson, who was enjoying the beach with his young family, spotted a “big cloud of blood” in the water. He reported that the woman had huge bites on her arm and leg, including her thigh, where the shark had torn out a large chunk of flesh, leaving the bone exposed.
After being pulled from the water, the victim was taken to a rugby field and then airlifted to a hospital by helicopter.
Shark Attacks in Australia
At least four people have been killed in shark attacks across Australia so far this year, including three spearfishing divers attacked since May 16. Daniel Turpin, 35, was killed while fishing with his family off Michaelmas Island near Albany last Saturday. On May 16, diver Steve Mattabonni, 38, was fatally attacked by a 13-foot shark at a reef on Rottnest Island off Perth. A week later, 39-year-old spearfisher Michael Jensz suffered fatal head injuries while exploring the Great Barrier Reef as bull sharks were spotted in the area.
Australia's first fatality of the year was a 12-year-old boy who died in hospital in January, days after being attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbour. According to the Australian Shark Incident Database, the nation has averaged two to three shark-related fatalities per year since 2000. However, incidents have become more common as activities like scuba diving and surfing have grown in popularity.
