{"id":13818,"date":"2026-01-19T21:46:12","date_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:46:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=13818"},"modified":"2026-01-19T21:46:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-19T21:46:12","slug":"man-in-critical-condition-with-probably-life-changing-injuries-after-third-sydney-shark-attack-in-two-days-sydney","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/microvibenews.com\/?p=13818","title":{"rendered":"Man in critical condition with \u2018probably life-changing injuries\u2019 after third Sydney shark attack in two days | Sydney"},"content":{"rendered":"

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A man believed to be in his 20s is in a critical condition after being bitten by a shark in the third attack at Sydney<\/a> beaches in two days.<\/p>\n

He was taken to Royal North Shore hospital on Monday evening after New South Wales<\/a> ambulance officers treated the man at Manly beach in Sydney\u2019s north following the attack.<\/p>\n

Supt John Duncan, the head of northern beaches police area command, said the man had come up to Manly for a surf and was about 40 metres off the beach when the attack took place, around 6.15pm.<\/p>\n

\u201cWitnesses heard him report a shark, and then he suffered a shark bite to his leg,\u201d Duncan said on Tuesday morning, describing the injuries as \u201cprobably life-changing\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe surf lifesavers and emergency personnel who happened to be in the area responded quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

The man remained in hospital in a critical condition after undergoing surgery on Monday night.<\/p>\n

Christie Marks with NSW ambulance said the man was in cardiac arrest when emergency crews arrived and required CPR, saying the patient had lost a \u201clot of blood\u201d. A member of highway patrol met an ambulance en route to the hospital to give the ambulance crew extra blood that was needed on the way.<\/p>\n

The man was given 13 units of blood en route to the hospital.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is something that doesn\u2019t happen a lot and that is going to be something that is going to give him the best chance of surviving,\u201d Marks said. She noted a NSW ambulance doctor happened to be swimming at the beach during the attack and was part of the initial effort to treat the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cEverything that the people have done together and the agencies that have worked together is the best chance of survival for this patient.\u201d<\/p>\n

Beaches in the area remain closed on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n

\u201cAll beaches on the northern beaches are closed until further notice, and this will be reviewed on an ongoing basis,\u201d police had said on Monday.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>NSW ambulance officers treat a shark attack victim at Manly beach in Sydney on Monday.<\/span> Photograph: Cristen Boorman<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It comes after an 11-year-old surfer had his board bitten by a shark at Dee Why just a few kilometres away, and one day after a 12-year-old boy was attacked<\/a> while swimming in Sydney Harbour in the eastern suburbs.<\/p>\n

The 11-year-old was surfing at Dee Why beach on Monday morning when a shark bit his board several times, taking a chunk out of the mid-section.<\/p>\n

The surfer was unharmed and helped by others out of the water.<\/p>\n

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Northern Beaches council lifeguards immediately sounded the alarm, erected shark warning signs and dispatched a jetski to patrol the water. Surf Life Saving NSW launched a drone to assist with the investigation but there were no further sightings before midday.<\/p>\n

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The 15cm bite mark on the young surfer\u2019s board suggests he was most likely attacked by a bull shark, according to shark biologists from the primary industries department.<\/p>\n

The shark net had been set as normal on Dee Why beach, which was closed at the time of attack because of large swells and dangerous surf.<\/p>\n

Dee Why is also a short distance from where avid surfer Mercury Psillakis, 57, was fatally mauled by a shark<\/a> in September.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Shocked Manly locals looked on as the police operation following the shark attack continued on Monday afternoon.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Vaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Police on Monday urged people not to swim in murky, low-visibility water<\/a> after bucketing rain drenched Sydney and its surrounds at the weekend.<\/p>\n

On Sunday afternoon, three teenagers leapt into action to save the life of a friend who was critically injured in a shark attack in eastern Sydney\u2019s Vaucluse. The 13-year-old boy remained in hospital in a critical condition after surgery with injuries to both legs.<\/p>\n

Extra fresh water in the harbour after recent heavy rain, combined with the splashing effect from people jumping off a rock face, created a \u201cperfect storm\u201d for Sunday\u2019s shark attack, Supt Joseph McNulty said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI would recommend not swimming in the harbour or our other river systems across NSW at this time,\u201d he told reporters before the Dee Why incident was reported.<\/p>\n

Heavy swell had also prevented the operation of smart drumlines, which notify authorities of shark activity along most of the NSW coast since Sunday.<\/p>\n

<\/svg><\/span>Shark attach at Manly Beach.<\/span> Photograph: Alex Vaughan<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In the Vaucluse attack, at least one of the victim\u2019s friends jumped into the water and pulled him out after the attack, while the others called for emergency services, McNulty said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe actions of his mates who have gone into the water to pull him out have been nothing but brave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThose actions of those young men are brave under the circumstances and very confronting injuries for those boys to see, but I suppose that\u2019s mateship.\u201d<\/p>\n

The primary industries department is working to identify the species of shark involved but initial reports suggest it was a bull shark.<\/p>\n

Multiple swimmers have been attacked by sharks in the harbour in recent years, including a young woman who was bitten on the leg at Elizabeth Bay in early 2024.<\/p>\n

Psillakis\u2019s death, at Long Reef beach on Sydney\u2019s northern beaches, caused the state government to pull a trial to remove a handful of shark meshing nets<\/a> off popular beaches.<\/p>\n