Sydney reopens beach under heavy patrols after shark attack

Sydney's Coogee Beach reopened Monday with enhanced safety measures, including lifeguard and jet ski patrols, following a shark attack that left a 35-year-old woman in critical condition. The incident has spurred a review of safety protocols at popular Australian shorelines.

The victim was swimming approximately 30 meters offshore on Saturday morning when a three-to-four-meter shark bit her, causing severe injuries to her arms and lower left leg. She remains hospitalized in stable condition. Local authorities have urged swimmers to exercise caution, with Randwick City Council stating that lifeguards would conduct continuous jet ski patrols and Surf Life Saving NSW would deploy a shark-spotting drone.

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Our Lifeguards will continue JetSki patrols throughout the day, and Surf Life Saving NSW is operating a shark-spotting drone at Coogee Beach.

This attack is the latest in a series of shark encounters along Australia's coast. The previous week saw a man die after a shark attack while fishing in Western Australia, and a fatal attack occurred off Queensland's Great Barrier Reef the month prior. In January, dozens of Sydney beaches were closed after four shark attacks in two days, attributed partly to murky waters following heavy rainfall.

While shark encounters are statistically rare, data indicates a gradual increase in incidents. An analysis of the Australian Shark Incident Database shows an average of nearly 29 incidents per year over the last decade, up from approximately 16 per year in the 2000s. The recent attack has reignited debate over shark culling, a contentious issue, with some experts suggesting the shark involved was a protected white shark.

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It’s so wrong that we don’t cull sharks after attacks.