A Central Coast councillor has called on the NSW government to further expand shark monitoring and protection on the state's coastline after a Sydney woman was critically injured in an attack at the weekend.
A 35-year-old woman was pulled from the water at Coogee beach on Saturday morning about 11.15am with serious arm and leg injuries, police said in a statement.
Bystanders rendered first aid until emergency services arrived, and the woman was flown to hospital. NSW Surf Life Saving said in a statement she was "semi-conscious and breathing" when she was taken from the beach.
"We are sending our best wishes to the woman involved and her family at this time, after another terrible shark incident on our coastline," chief executive Steve Pearce said.
NSW Ambulance Inspector Mike Corlis told metropolitan media the woman had suffered "massive wounds" to her lower leg and arms.
She had been swimming about 30 metres offshore, when she was bitten by a three-metre shark.
Nearby beaches were closed, police said, and lifeguards were patrolling the waters to try to find the shark.
Central Coast councillor Jared Wright said in a statement Saturday afternoon, June 13, that residents and beachgoers' thoughts would be with the victim and her family.
Councillor Wright - an outspoken advocate for shark mitigation and beach safety - said modern monitoring technology, including drones and drumlines, had given his constituents at Avoca beach peace of mind when going in the water.
"There is no silver bullet when it comes to preventing these tragedies, but putting these measures in place certainly does go a long way in improving beach safety for all," he said.
"I have always been of the view that these protection measures need to be rolled out at as many beaches as possible."
Shark nets were deployed at Coogee from September to March this year, as well as at surrounding beaches as part of the state's Shark Smart program.
Mapping showed three SMART monitoring drumlines were also deployed at the beach at the weekend, with several more between Coogee and Bondi beaches.
Drones were being used at 14 locations statewide on Saturday but not at Coogee, SLNSW said.
Additional drone surveillance has been organised for Bondi and Bronte beaches for Saturday and Sunday, with further flights in the area to be assessed.
The state invests about $21.4 million annually in shark mitigation, funding Surf Life Saving NSW drone surveillance programs at 80 beaches during the summer school holiday period.
The program was extended in December with additional funding, increasing the number of monitored beaches from 50, and extending the monitoring period through April.
The state's shark management program is the largest of its kind in the world, amounting to more than $42 million over the past two years, according to Shark Smart figures.
It operates more than 300 drumlines deployed along the coast, with 37 tagged shark listening stations and nets annually deployed at 51 beaches.
In April, Surf Life Saving NSW announced shark bite trauma kits would be installed at every surf club across the state following a wave of attacks.
A series of shark encounters over the summer this year gave rise to reports of increased activity along the state's coast.
Nico Antic, 12, died after an attack at Shark Beach near Vaucluse on January 18 and Andre de Ruyter, 27, had his lower leg amputated after an attack near Manly beach a day later.
A shark sighting closed a Central Coast beach on Australia Day and beaches along the Hunter coast, including at Tea Gardens and Redhead, were intermittently closed during the warmer months.
The Newcastle Herald reported in September anglers working the Hunter's coastline had noted an increase in shark activity in the past few years.
More than 1500 sharks have been tagged by the state government since 2016.
The Australian Shark-Incident Database compiles recorded shark activity dating back to 1791 in NSW, with long-term trends indicating fatalities have fallen sharply since the middle of the last century.
Shark interaction reports have meanwhile increased markedly, but analysis of the database shows the trend broadly correlates to changing exposure and reporting patterns.
The state recorded one death between 2000 and 2009, four between 2010 and 2019, and seven between 2020 and 2025.
The most recent fatal attack in Australian waters happened on June 6, with 35-year-old diver Daniel Turpin bitten by a suspected 4.5-metre shark while spearfishing with his family off Michaelmas Island near Albany.
In January, NSW made international headlines after recording four shark attacks in 48 hours.
Two resulted in people being hospitalised in critical condition, while the other two escaped without serious injuries.
- with reporting by AAP
