Sydney’s Coogee Beach has reopened under heightened surveillance following a weekend shark attack that left a woman critically injured, prompting a safety review across Australia’s popular coastlines.
The 35-year-old victim was swimming just 30m from shore on Saturday morning when she was bitten by a three-to-four-metre-long shark. She sustained serious injuries to her arms and lower left leg but remains in a stable condition in hospital. Local authorities have urged beachgoers to exercise caution.
Randwick City Council confirmed that lifeguards would maintain Jetski patrols throughout the day, with Surf Life Saving NSW deploying a shark-spotting drone at Coogee Beach.
The council is also set to host a community gathering on Saturday to address the incident.
Coogee, south of the iconic Bondi Beach, embodies Sydney’s renowned coastal lifestyle. Its golden sands and dramatic cliffs attract millions of tourists annually, making water safety a paramount concern.
Saturday’s incident marks the latest in a series of shark encounters off Australian shores. Just last week, a man died after a shark attack while fishing off Western Australia.
The previous month saw a 39-year-old man fatally attacked while fishing on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef, and 10 days prior, a 38-year-old was mauled to death near Perth.
In January, dozens of beaches along Australia’s east coast, including Sydney, were closed after at least four shark attacks in two days. Those followed heavy rainfall, creating murky waters that attract sharks and reduce visibility. While statistically rare, a Reuters analysis of data from the Australian Shark Incident Database shows a gradual rise in encounters, averaging 29 incidents a year over the last decade, up from roughly 16 in the 2000s.
The recent attack has reignited calls for a regulatory review of aerial surveillance. Although emergency drones were deployed on Monday, Coogee typically faces strict flight restrictions due to its location directly beneath Sydney airport’s flight path.
New South Wales agriculture minister Tara Moriarty stated on Monday that it had been “a really tough summer for shark activity”, adding that “nothing was off the table” as the state considered new safety measures.
Some experts suggest Saturday’s attack involved a white shark, a vulnerable species protected under environmental laws, making it illegal to target, capture, or kill without approval.
However, the incident has again prompted suggestions of a cull, a highly contentious issue.
“It’s so wrong that we don’t cull sharks after attacks,” said former conservative prime minister Tony Abbott in a video posted on his Facebook page.
More details here...
