MELBOURNE, Australia — A shark attack off a popular Sydney beach has prompted authorities in New South Wales to push for a review of drone flight restrictions, after a woman was left critically injured on Saturday morning.
Emergency crews responded to Coogee Beach in eastern Sydney after reports that a 35-year-old woman had been bitten by a large shark roughly 30 metres — about 100 feet — from the shoreline.
As of Sunday, the woman remained in critical but stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital, according to a spokesperson who spoke with Reuters. She suffered serious injuries to her lower left leg and both arms.
Coogee Beach and several other beaches in the city’s Randwick Council area were shut down for 24 hours in the wake of the attack. Drones were deployed under emergency provisions to scan the waters for sharks during that time.
New South Wales Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty addressed the growing concern over shark activity in the region. “It’s been a really tough summer of shark activity and shark attacks in Sydney and it’s something that the NSW government is taking really, really seriously,” she said.
Moriarty added that the government would explore new measures to protect swimmers, including expanded use of drones and other surveillance technology.
While Australian lifesavers routinely use drones to watch for sharks, Coogee Beach has long faced restrictions on commercial drone flights because it falls beneath the flight path of Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport. Following Saturday’s attack, a spokesman for the Civil Aviation Safety Authority released a statement indicating the agency would look into modifying the existing rules.
A paddleboard champion and off-duty lifeguard, 25-year-old Charlie Verco, was credited with rescuing the woman and bringing her safely to shore. Speaking to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Verco described the terrifying moment he spotted a three-to-four-metre shark near a group of swimmers.
“I just looked at the beach, tried to signal to the lifeguards, a big code X, to get them to understand how it was going on out there, clear the water if they could, and get the power craft out there,” Verco recalled.
He went on to describe the most harrowing part of the rescue: “She ended up getting taken underwater for a second. I couldn’t see where she was because it was all red. And luckily, she popped up and shark had let her go and I was able to get close enough to bring her into shore.”
Once on the beach, the woman was met by lifeguards, police, and medical personnel before being transported by ambulance to the hospital.
Saturday’s attack is part of a broader pattern of shark incidents across Australia this year. According to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, the country’s east and southeast coastline averages around 20 shark attacks annually, with that stretch of shoreline accounting for the majority of such incidents.
