The woman left critically injured in Saturday’s shark attack at Coogee Beach has been identified as Leah Stewart, a much-loved mother.
Friends say the 35-year-old is a highly capable swimmer and a committed campaigner for cleaner water.
Stewart was reportedly about 30 metres from the shoreline when she was attacked by what is believed to have been a great white shark.
A friend was looking after her toddler on the beach at the time, while her partner was overseas and hurried back after learning what had happened.
Off-duty lifeguard Charlie Verco, 24, was out paddleboarding nearby when the incident occurred. He quickly moved toward the shark and then helped bring Stewart from the water.
“The water got very bloody and she got taken under and after a few seconds, popped up again, and the shark had let her go,” he told ABC News.
‘All I really wanted to do was to go to shore, obviously, but because I was the only one on any craft near her, I was like, if I don’t, I’m not here to help her, no-one is.
‘She was lucid enough to say, ‘Help’, and respond to instruction, but she was very much in shock and definitely freaked out and wasn’t able to have conversation.’
The woman injured in Saturday’s shark attack at Coogee Beach has been identified as Leah Stewart
Ms Stewart was swimming about 30 metres from shore when she was attacked by a suspected great white shark
‘That was when I was able to actually get close enough to her and get her to grab the front of my board.’
Mr Verco said he did his best to comfort her with words like, ‘We’re almost ashore’ and ‘You’re doing really well’ to take her mind off the severity of her injuries.
Mr Verco said he quickly realised she was too injured to climb onto the board, so he told her to hold onto a drink bottle holder on the front while he paddled.
‘About halfway into shore, she lost consciousness and I had to go grab her by the arm and just keep her head out of the water with one arm and paddle backwards with the other until we got close to shore there was lifeguards there ready to help.’
On the shore lifeguards applied tourniquets and began CPR. She regained consciousness.
Ms Stewart was airlifted to hospital after suffering devastating injuries to her left arm and leg.
She was in a critical but stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital Sydney on Monday morning.
Ms Stewart, who has lived in Coogee for several years, swam 50km in November to raise funds for breast cancer research.
‘As a breastfeeding mum, I have a whole new appreciation for these incredible organs and want to do my part in supporting the fight against the most common cancer in women,’ she wrote on her fundraising page.
She and her partner welcomed their first child early last year.
The attack has renewed calls for a shark cull around Sydney’s popular swimming beaches following a series of bull shark attacks in January and the latest incident at the weekend.
NSW Premier Chris Minns said the government was exploring a bull shark cull but would not target great whites, which are protected under Australian law.
‘I’m not convinced it would work and we’ve certainly had no expert evidence suggesting to us that we could ward away great whites from our beaches as a result of a cull,’ he said.
‘Because the reality is for those sharks, they may have come from New Zealand, they may have crossed the Pacific Ocean. I’m not convinced it would work and certainly we haven’t received evidence or information that it would work.’
The animal that attacked Ms Stewart is believed to have been between three and four metres.
