Sydney Harbour shark encounter sees woman’s leg badly mauled

Time and again we read that swimming at sunrise or sunset can mean you are more likely to have an unexpected shark encounter, which is exactly what happened to a woman who suffered severe injuries after a sunset swim in Sydney Harbour, Australia.

Lauren O’Neill, 29, was bitten on the leg by what is suspected to be a bull shark, based on photo comparisons of bite marks according to the BBC.

Despite losing litres of blood, her mauled leg was saved by surgeons at St Vincent's who operated on her through the night.

Although the area is known to be home to the species of shark – which after the great white shark and tiger shark is often cited as the shark species guilty for the most fatal attacks on humans – attacks are extremely rare.

And this one should have been completely avoidable as it was not a sensible time to go swimming in waters that are known to be home to the species of shark, especially when they are more active at night and their vision - and ours as swimmers - is compromised. So, here’s some essential tips on how you can help stay shark safe in the water.

It was back in February 2022 when British man Simon Nellist was killed by great white shark off Little Bay in Sydney's south-east, who was confirmed as the first fatal shark encounter victim in Sydney in 60 years, showing you just how rare shark fatalities are.

Australia has had several high-profile shark encounters over the last 12 months, securing its place as the second largest number of shark attacks globally, outside of the US.

Words by Dean Newman

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