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A 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition after sustaining serious leg injuries in a shark encounter at a popular Sydney beach.
Emergency services were called to Vaucluse in the city’s east to reports of a shark attack about 4.20pm on Sunday.
A boy was swiftly rescued from the waters near Shark Beach at Nielsen Park by officers from the NSW Police and Marine Area Command, according to police, responding within minutes of the emergency call.
In a statement, police noted that the injuries sustained were consistent with those typically inflicted by a large shark.
Water Police officers attached two medical tourniquets before administering first aid on board a police vessel.
The teenager was taken by boat to nearby Rose Bay Wharf, where he was treated by NSW Ambulance Paramedics for serious leg injuries.
A short time later, he was transported by road to Sydney Children’s Hospital in a critical condition, a NSW Ambulance spokeswoman said.
Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty announced that the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development is actively investigating to determine the species of shark responsible for the incident.
Beach closed
The incident happened near Nielsen Park and Shark Beach, a popular swimming spot for families that has a netted area in Sydney Harbour.
Footage from the scene showed the boy being treated by paramedics in a police rescue tent with multiple ambulances nearby.
The beach has been closed and swimmers have been advised not to go in the water.
Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development was working to identify the species of shark involved in the attack.
“This is a tragic shark attack on a young boy having a swim on a Sunday afternoon in a harbour beach in Sydney’s east,” Moriarty said.
“Our thoughts are with the young boy and his family.
“I understand there were also a lot of young people on the beach at the time of the attack. Our thoughts are also with them.”
Multiple swimmers have been attacked by sharks in Sydney Harbour in recent years, including a young woman who was bitten on the leg at Elizabeth Bay in early 2024.
The woman, aged in her 20s, was attacked at Kylies Beach in the Crowdy Bay National Park in November.
