Woman left fighting for life after horror shark attack at Sydney beach

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A woman in her 30s is fighting for her life after being mauled by a shark at a popular beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs.

The swimmer suffered serious injuries to her arm and leg during the attack at Coogee Beach shortly before 11.15am local time on Saturday.

Emergency services rushed to the scene after receiving reports of the incident, with bystanders helping pull the injured woman from the water.

Police officers administered first aid before paramedics arrived, while a CareFlight helicopter later landed at nearby Coogee Oval after the area was cleared to facilitate the emergency response.

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One witness described seeing "a lot of blood" in the water after screams rang out from close to shore.

"A lifeguard on a surfboard rushed over to attend when screams were heard. I saw the shark's fins," she told news.com.au.

The witness said the lifeguard signalled danger by crossing his arms in an X formation before the shark alarm sounded.

"A swimmer was doing laps not far from shore. The lifeguard made an X symbol with his arms and the shark alarm sounded," she added.

The woman was taken to hospital in a critical condition.

Dr Daryl McPhee, a shark expert and associate professor in environmental science at Bond University, said the animal responsible was most likely a great white shark.

"We're unsure at this stage but, given the time of the year and the location, it is most likely a white shark," he told the Daily Mail.

He said cooler winter waters around Sydney typically see more great white sharks in the area.

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"As the water cools around the Sydney region, you expect to see less bull sharks and more white sharks," Dr McPhee explained.

Randwick City Council has since closed Coogee, Clovelly and Bronte beaches while authorities investigate the incident.

Shark nets at local beaches were removed on April 30 and are not due to be reinstalled until September 1.

However, SMART drumlines remain in place to alert authorities to shark activity.

The attack comes less than a week after 35-year-old Daniel Turpin was killed while spearfishing near Albany in Western Australia.

Earlier this year, a series of shark attacks across Sydney prompted widespread beach closures, including one that claimed the life of 12-year-old Nico Antic.

Closer to home, experts have recently warned that great white sharks could become a visitor to Britain's waters in the near future.

According to researchers, rising global ocean temperatures could make our seas an optimal habitat for these apex predators to thrive in.

Although there have long been rumours and sightings of great white sharks in British waters - particularly off the Cornish coat - no concrete proof has ever confirmed their presence.

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