A woman remains in hospital after her leg was ripped open by a juvenile great white shark near one of Sydney's most popular beaches last night.
The woman, aged in her 50s, was swimming at Congwong Beach, near La Perouse about 7:00pm when she was attacked by the shark.
Some beaches in the area remain closed as authorities search for the animal, which they say is a juvenile they believe is between 2.7 and 3.2 metres long.
Photos taken by one of the first responders show deep gashes in the woman's right leg.
The New South Wales' Department of Primary Industries' senior shark biologist, Dr Vic Peddemors, said he had examined photographs of the woman's wound, and determined a great white shark was responsible.
Paramedics attended the scene and transported the woman to St George Hospital, where she is having surgery to treat the deep cuts.
Mr Peddemors said the shark was a "juvenile" and the woman was in a stable condition.
"[It's a] reasonably severe bite but fortunately she's stable and is undergoing surgery … I'd be surprised if she had any severe damage," he said.
"Normally juvenile sharks feed on fish, but as they get larger they start including turtles and marine mammals like dolphins and seals in their diet," Mr Peddemors said.
"Obviously there's no mother to tell them what to eat and what not to eat so they are exploring whether … larger objects are edible."
He said there was no requirement "for shark nets to be put up … because of a single white".
"There have been no shark bites in the La Perouse area for an extremely long period. This is an unusual event, shark bites as a whole are an unusual event," Mr Peddemors said.
Local community 'shocked and concerned'
Randwick Mayor Lindsay Shurey said the community was in shock following the attack.
"From all accounts the woman was very lucky and certainly the whole community's heartfelt thoughts are with her for a full recovery," Cr Shurey said.
"I've lived in the area for 25 years and this is the first confirmed shark attack in Randwick City. We're all a little shocked and concerned."
Beaches in the area remain closed.
Council lifeguards will be stationed at the usually unpatrolled beaches on Saturday.
