A young boy is facing the fight of his life after a terrifying shark attack at a popular Sydney Harbour beach on Sunday afternoon.
A Terrifying Afternoon at Vaucluse
The 12-year-old was enjoying a summer afternoon with two friends, jumping off a six-metre rock at Vaucluse, when the unthinkable happened around 4:20pm. He was suddenly attacked by what authorities believe was a large bull shark, which bit him on both legs.
Superintendent Joseph McNulty described the scene that confronted police as "horrendous". The boy's friends displayed incredible bravery, with one jumping into the water to pull the victim out while another helped haul them both back onto the safety of the rock.
Race Against Time to Save a Life
Officers on a nearby police boat were first on the scene and immediately applied two tourniquets, one to each leg, in a desperate bid to stem the severe bleeding. Superintendent McNulty confirmed the boy was unconscious and had lost a significant amount of blood.
Eastern Suburbs police swiftly responded, helping transfer the critically injured child onto a boat. Paramedics performed CPR as the vessel sped at high-speed to Rose Bay Wharf. From there, the boy was rushed into a waiting ambulance where he received a blood transfusion en route to Randwick Children's Hospital.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Giles Buchanan said the response became a full resuscitation effort, describing the situation as "touch and go" the entire way to hospital. He credited the tourniquets applied by police with saving the boy's life.
Perfect Storm for an Attack
Superintendent McNulty explained that recent rain in Sydney had created brackish water in the harbour—a mix of fresh and salty water—which, combined with the splashing from the boys, created a "perfect storm" for a shark attack. He strongly advised against swimming in the harbour or NSW river systems at present.
"You can't see the bottom of it, it's brackish water, so I would recommend not swimming in the harbour or our other river systems across NSW at this time," McNulty warned. "It's not a good time to swim."
While the shark is believed to be a bull shark, it has not been located. Police will work with the Department of Primary Industries on Monday to investigate what species have been in the area.
Long Road to Recovery
The young victim underwent surgery overnight and remains in a critical condition in the Intensive Care Unit, surrounded by his family and friends. Inspector Buchanan could not confirm if the boy had lost his legs, stating only that the limbs had sustained "critical injuries".
"He's in a very dangerous position, not out of the woods yet," Buchanan said. Superintendent McNulty praised the "textbook recovery effort" by all emergency services, which gave the child his best chance at survival.
"He is in for the fight of his life now and the actions of emergency services yesterday gave him that chance," McNulty stated, also commending the brave actions of the boy's young friends. "Those actions of those young men are brave under those circumstances... I suppose that's mateship."
