Shocking new particulars emerge about shark assault in Sydney Harbour – as boy, 12, fights for his life in hospital

A young boy is ‘in the fight of his life’ in hospital after he had both his legs mauled in a horror shark attack at a popular Sydney beach on Sunday afternoon.

The boy, who is believed to be around 12-years-old, was swimming with five friends at the western end of Nielsen Park in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The park includes Shark Beach, where swimmers can access both netted and open swimming areas in Sydney Harbour. 

It’s understood the boy was jumping off a six-metre high rock ledge known as ‘jump rock’ when he was attacked by a bull shark, where there are no nets.

Authorities said the heavy rainfall over the weekend, along with splashing caused by the jumping, may have made the ‘perfect storm environment’ for the attack to occur.

NSW Police’s Marine Area Commander, Superintendent Joe McNulty, said the boy remains in the intensive care unit on Monday morning.

‘He’s in for the fight of his life,’ he told 7’s Sunrise.

‘He’s undergone operations throughout the night at the Children’s Hospital at Randwick. He’s now in critical condition and with his parents.’

The young boy remains in a critical condition after both his legs were mauled in the attack

Superintendent McNulty said the boy’s friends were ‘extremely brave’ after they jumped into the water to save him, as horrified onlookers called triple-0.

‘The water yesterday was extremely brackish due to the heavy rain Sydney has experienced over the weekend. They were jumping into muddy water, and we believe a shark was in the vicinity,’ he said.

‘One of the boy’s mates jumped in to pull him from the water to the rock platform, which also helped save his life.

‘CPR was performed on the rock shelf and again on the boat. Combined with the tourniquets, we believe this prevented catastrophic blood loss.’

He said police were on scene within five minutes.

‘The police boat behind me, a new addition to our fleet, was able to manoeuvre directly up to the rock platform. Senior Constable John Morris jumped off the vessel carrying two tourniquets, which were immediately applied to severe leg injuries,’ Superintendent McNulty said.

‘From what we believe, a large shark bit both of the boy’s legs. The double tourniquets were applied on the rock shelf, assisted by Eastern Suburbs police, and they stemmed the bleeding, giving the boy a fighting chance.

‘He was immediately evacuated onto the bow of the police boat. We couldn’t wait for an ambulance due to how critical his condition was. The boat travelled at high speed across the bay to Rose Bay, where NSW Ambulance was waiting.’

Bull sharks are common in Sydney Harbour – the last known attack in the area was in 2024

He was worked on by paramedics for over an hour before being taken to hospital

Superintendent McNulty added: ‘He was taken straight from the bow of the vessel into paramedics’ care. That immediate, coordinated response made a significant difference.’

The boy was transported by road ambulance to Sydney Children’s Hospital in Randwick at around 6pm.

While paramedics worked to save the boy’s life, detectives arrived at the scene and cordoned off the rock ledge from where the children had been jumping from.

Water police then began a search for the shark involved in the attack and advised other swimmers to not enter the water.

Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty said authorities are working to determine 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.’

The attack is believed to be the fourth in Sydney Harbour in over 50 years.

Superintendent Joe McNulty said the ‘combination of the brackish water, the fresh water, the actions of the splashing, may have made that perfect storm environment’ for the shark attack

Police officers could be seen consoling distressed children near the entrance to the beach

Police then searched for the shark involved in the attack which is believed to be a bull shark

Lauren O’Neill was bitten on the leg while swimming at Elizabeth Bay in early 2024 – a few kilometres west of Nielsen Park.

Ms O’Neill had jumped off a jetty when she was attacked and was forced to undergo surgery to save her leg.

In 2009, navy clearance diver Paul de Gelder suffered catastrophic injuries when he was attacked by a bull shark during a counter-terrorism exercise in Sydney Harbour and lost a hand and part of one of his legs.

In 1963, actress Marcia Hathaway was killed by a bull shark as she swam in the shallows of Sugarloaf Bay near Castle Cove.