Woman Bitten By Bull Shark In Sydney Harbour

A woman is seriously injured after being bitten by a bull shark at Elizabeth Bay in Sydney Harbour last night, less than 7kms from popular surfing beaches at Manly and Bondi.

In large north-east swells that rip through the heads and bounce off Mosman, there is a surf break on a patch of reef many people don’t know exists, less than 5kms away from the incident site

In Stab Highway, Harry Bryant swam the length of the harbour bridge with a steak tied to his leg, less than a kilometre away from where the attack occurred.

Sydney is home to Australia’s most dense population of surfers.

Nine News reported, “Local resident Michael Porter had just arrived home when he heard faint yells for help through his window.”

“It was horrifying, I’ve never experienced anything like it,” he told Nine’s Today program on Tuesday.

“Lauren, the victim, was trying to pull herself up off the side [of] the harbour pool, trying to get into the safe enclosure.

“Her leg was sort of trailing behind her – behind her was all red blood.”

“The whole thing was totally surreal and I still haven’t processed it all, to be honest.”

He was quickly joined by several other neighbours, including a “hero” vet named Fiona who applied tourniquets to stem the bleeding.

The victim’s significant wounds meant “blood was everywhere” and, while in little pain, she struggled to maintain consciousness before paramedics arrived and rushed her to nearby St Vincent’s hospital for surgery. She was in a stable condition on Tuesday morning.

“Fiona is a hero and I believe she saved her life,” Porter said.

“I’m not sure what would have happened but it wouldn’t have been good.”

The Guardian wrote:

Shark attacks in Sydney Harbour are rare but the area is an important habitat for adult and sub-adult bull sharks. Tagging and tracking in the past 15 years has revealed bull sharks use all areas of the harbour, from Parramatta and Lane Cove rivers to Middle and North Harbour.

They prefer water temperatures above 20C, slightly deeper water during the day and shallower water at night and are more active at dawn and dusk.

People should take extra care in murky, dirty water, after high rainfall or floods, where lots of baitfish and diving birds are around and within one kilometre of a river, the NSW government says.