Overview
- Police say the boy was bitten on both legs around 4:20 p.m. after jumping from a roughly 6‑metre rock near the netted area at Nielsen Park’s Shark Beach.
- Friends helped retrieve him from the water before Water Police applied two tourniquets and performed CPR en route to Rose Bay, after which he underwent surgery at Sydney Children’s Hospital and remains in intensive care.
- Authorities suspect a bull shark based on the injuries, though the species has not been confirmed, and the Department of Primary Industries is leading the identification effort.
- NSW Police cautioned against swimming in the harbour and river systems given murky, fresh‑salt mix conditions after heavy rain, with some mitigation measures curtailed by large swell.
- Following this attack, an 11‑year‑old’s surfboard was bitten at Dee Why and a surfer was critically injured near Manly, prompting closures, patrols and drone monitoring along parts of Sydney’s coastline.