Lifeguard helps save woman critically injured in Australia shark attack: "The size of it shocked me"
CBS News • • general
Key Points:
- A 35-year-old woman was critically injured in a white shark attack while swimming about 100 feet from shore at Coogee Beach, Sydney, suffering serious leg and arm wounds.
- Lifeguard Charlie Verco, who witnessed the attack from his paddleboard, was the first to assist, pulling the weakened woman toward shore with help from bystanders and an off-duty doctor who applied tourniquets.
- The woman had severe bite wounds exposing bone and was airlifted to a hospital for extensive surgery, with police describing her condition as critical.
- Coogee Beach and nearby beaches were closed for 24 hours following the incident as authorities respond to the attack.
- Australia has seen multiple shark attacks in 2026, including three fatal spearfishing diver incidents and the death of a 12-year-old boy from a bull shark in Sydney Harbor earlier in the year.