Woman in critical condition after shark attack at Coogee beach

Coogee beach in Sydney’s east has been closed after a woman was critically injured by a shark on Saturday morning. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters View image in fullscreen Coogee beach in Sydney’s east has been closed after a woman was critically injured by a shark on Saturday morning. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters Woman in critical condition after shark attack at Coogee beach A woman in her 30s has been transported to hospital with arm and leg injuries and beaches in Sydney’s east have been closed after the attack Get our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcast A woman in her 30s is in a critical condition after being bitten by a shark at Coogee beach on Saturday. A spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance said the woman suffered arm and leg injuries and had been taken by road to St Vincent’s hospital. They said multiple crews had treated the woman on the beach after the attack, which occurred just after 11am. View image in fullscreen Police and emergency personnel at Sydney’s Coogee beach after reports of a shark attack. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters View image in fullscreen Police speak to people at the scene of the shark attack. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters Surf Life Saving NSW said the woman had been taken to hospital “semi-conscious and breathing”. A spokesperson for NSW police said the woman was pulled from the water by members of the public who commenced first aid until emergency services arrived. “Police 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,” they said. Police cleared nearby Coogee Oval to facilitate the landing of the Careflight helicopter to potentially airlift the woman to hospital. NSW Ambulance said a command post had been set up on the beach with police and ambulance chaplains available to support people who witnessed the attack. While authorities have not yet confirmed the species of shark involved, Randwick Council said the shark was believed to be a three to four metres in size. View image in fullscreen Coogee beach and nearby beaches including Clovelly and Bronte have been closed. Photograph: Hollie Adams/Reuters At Tamarama beach to Coogee’s north, surf lifesavers cleared the water a short time later, telling swimmers and surfers the beach was being closed because of the incident. A SLSNSW spokesperson said council lifeguards, off duty lifesavers and the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter were among the responding services, with the chopper conducting surveillance of the area. The spokesperson said all beaches from Bondi to Maroubra had been closed and would remain closed for at least 24 hours. Chief executive Steve Pearce said it was the fourth serious shark incident in Sydney since September 2025. “We are sending our best wishes to the woman involved and her family at this time, after another terrible shark incident on our coastline,” he said. He said while the volunteer patrol season had ended, there were still lifesaving services including drone surveillances providing safety measures within coastal communities. Drones were in use at 14 locations around the state on Saturday but not at Coogee. SLSNSW said additional drone surveillance had been organised for Bondi and Bronte beaches on Saturday and Sunday, with further flights in the area to be assessed. Coogee beach, known for its relatively gentle surf, is popular with locals and tourists and draws thousands of visitors on summer days. Earlier this year, three people were attacked – one fatally – by sharks at Sydney beaches in a period of 48 hours. More recently, there have been two fatal attacks on spearfishers in Western Australia. Explore more on these topics Sydney Sharks New South Wales Oceans Surfing Animals Marine life news Share Reuse this content