Members of the public provided first aid before police and paramedics arrived on the scene. Photo / Facebook
Authorities have closed beaches across northern Sydney until further notice following three shark attacks across the city in two days.
A man was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after he was bitten on the calf at North Steyne, in Manly, at about 6.20pm on Monday.
The incident happened just hours after a young surfer’s board was bitten at Dee Why, and a young boy was left fighting for life after being mauled in Sydney Harbour on Sunday.
NSW Shark Smart advised all of Sydney’s Northern Beaches were closed until further notice.
Authorities warned recent coastal weather created conditions that “significantly” increased the likelihood of shark activity.
“Bull sharks are more common in NSW waters [beaches, rivers, harbours and estuaries] during summer and autumn, especially when water temperatures rise above 19C,” the warning read.
“They are more likely to be in shallow, near shore waters during the afternoon and at night.
“Heavy rainfall increases the risk of interactions.”
A man was in a critical condition on Monday night after a shark attack at Manly, on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.
The man, believed to be aged in his 20s, was pulled from the water and was treated for a serious leg injury, according to NSW Ambulance.
The incident unfolded in front of surf cameras, which captured a hero surfer bringing the injured man to shore as others on the beach rushed in to offer assistance.
They began first aid on the man before police and paramedics arrived on the scene.
Multiple crews attended the incident, with paramedics performing CPR on the sand. A rescue helicopter was also called to Manly.
The man was taken to Royal North Shore Hospital by ambulance and is in a critical condition, NSW Police said.
A surfer who was out at North Steyne when the attack happened has described how he and his mate put the injured man on a board and pushed him back to the beach.
“There was blood on the board and I was trying to pull them to help out,” one of the surfers, Ash, told Manly Observer.
“The guy was silenced from the pain, but still conscious, and I kept telling him to not look at his leg and we just kept paddling.
“We screamed at people on the beach to get a tourniquet. It was like 6.20pm or 6.30pm and the lifeguards were off duty. Some people came and grabbed him and took him to shore and I went back for my mate who was caught in a rip.”
Ash said they alerted the last lifesaver who was packing up for the night and got help from a nurse who administered first aid while they waited for first responders.
Swimmers were called from the water after a shark was seen, with lifeguards at Manly informing beachgoers there had been a suspected attack.
“We need everybody to come to shore now, there’s a shark out there, there may or may not have been an attack, we need you out of the water now,” a lifeguard is heard saying over the megaphone in footage obtained by the Beach on Monday evening.
Earlier on Monday, an 11-year-old boy had a chunk bitten out of his surfboard at nearby Dee Why Beach.
The boy, who was left rattled by the incident but unharmed, was helped back to shore by another surfer with witnesses saying they saw what appeared to be about a 1.2m bull shark in the water.
Another young boy is fighting for life after being mauled by a shark in Vaucluse, at about 4.20pm on Sunday.
The child, believed to be around 12, was rock jumping with his friends at Hermitage Foreshore Walk near Shark Beach, in Vaucluse, when he was bitten.
Police have praised the child’s friends after they bravely worked together to pull him from the water, exposing themselves to his “confronting” injuries in the process.
Multiple crews, including intensive care paramedics and aeromedical teams, rushed to rescue the boy who sustained critical injuries to his legs.
He was transported by boat to Rose Bay, where he was taken to the Children’s Hospital in Randwick.
Senior Constable John Morris told Sunrise the boy had “double tourniquets” applied to his legs by paramedics and police on the rock shelf.
“The double tourniquet system, we think stemmed the loss of blood at that scene,” he said.
He has since undergone surgery and remains in a critical condition with his parents by his side.
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Morris said the boy lost a significant amount of blood and was unconscious when paramedics arrived.
“The boy had lost his pulse, there was a large blood loss and the double tourniquet stemmed that flow of blood loss yesterday, and has contributed to saving his life.”
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