Coogee Beach shark attack: Woman in critical condition

A 35-year-old woman who is in a critical condition after being bitten by a three-metre shark at Coogee Beach was rescued by an off-duty Coogee lifeguard on a longboard with help from other bystanders.

On shore, she was treated by an off-duty critical care doctor and lifeguards who worked to quickly stabilise her, NSW Ambulance Inspector Mike Corlis said.

Corlis said, “She has quite massive wounds to her left lower leg and her arms.”

The woman was 30 metres offshore when the shark bit her, he said.

A spokesperson for NSW Ambulance said the woman had serious arm and leg injuries. She has been admitted to St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney.

Randwick Council jet skis are now patrolling the beach, looking to spot the shark, with its staff estimating the shark to be at least three metres in size.

Randwick Mayor Dylan Parker arrived at the beach just after the incident.

The victim was “in pretty bad shape”, he said. “There are lots of very shaken-up people, but we are so thankful for the heroic efforts of that individual and council lifeguards in providing that immediate first aid and CPR.”

Coogee local Cooper Smeaton arrived at the beach to a confronting and chaotic scene this morning. He described swimmers and beachgoers scrambling as the shark alarm blared and the victim lay bleeding on the sand.

He said the woman appeared “scared and traumatised”.

A woman named Maiara, who declined to provide a surname, described a tranquil morning at the beach as being disturbed by chaos, blood and sirens.

“I was just looking at the ocean, I saw a lot of blood, and a lady asking for help. It was a little bit traumatising,” Maiara said.

Lifeguards ran to assist the woman. “The shark alarm went off. I could see her asking for help.”

Another witness, Oakley Lamb, said he saw splashing in the water, and blood.

“It just turned into havoc,” he said.

The incident at Coogee follows a series of shark attacks in NSW last summer.

A 12-year-old boy, Nico Antic, died after being bitten by a bull shark at Nielsen Park in Vaucluse. There were also three other suspected bull shark attacks on NSW beaches, resulting in two hospitalisations and a narrow escape for an 11-year-old boy whose surfboard copped a bite.

Experts attributed the January attacks to heavy rains. Chris Pepin-Neff, a shark bite policy researcher at the University of Sydney, said then that the public should be warned when it is unsafe to swim at beaches after 20 millimetres of rain because of increased faecal matter and pollution from estuaries.

“Baitfish are attracted to faecal matter, and sharks are attracted to baitfish.”

Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said it was the fourth serious shark attack since September 2025. Pearce said that while the volunteer Surf Life Saving patrol season ended in April, additional drone surveillance has been organised for Bondi-Bronte today and tomorrow, with further flights in the area to be assessed. Drones were flying in 14 locations for the rest of the month, he said.

Randwick and Waverley councils have closed all their beaches in the eastern suburbs.

More to come

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