US EditionShark attacks boy swimming in Sydney Harbor, leaving him in critical condition
Authorities say murky water from recent rain and splashing children may have contributed to the attack; the boy remains in critical condition after surgery.
- At about 4.20pm, emergency services responded after a shark mauled a boy, believed to be about 12, at Shark Beach in Sydney Harbour on January 18, 2026; he is in critical condition with serious leg injuries at Sydney Children's Hospital, Randwick.
- Authorities said injuries are consistent with a large shark and the NSW Department of Primary Industries is investigating, with reports suggesting a 10-foot bull shark; the boy was jumping off rocks outside the netted swimming area at Shark Beach.
- Within minutes, Marine Area Command officers pulled the boy from the water and took him by boat to Rose Bay wharf while Water Police 41 officers applied two medical tourniquets and NSW Ambulance deployed intensive care paramedics and CareFlight aeromedical teams.
- Police closed Shark Beach, evacuated nearby beaches, and urged swimmers to avoid the water; NSW Police cordoned off the rock ledge and consoled up to five other children who tried to help.
- The attack came amid a recent cluster of incidents this month; Australia has recorded more than 1,280 shark incidents since 1791, with this being the third confirmed attack in less than a month.
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Australian boy fighting for life after shark attack, rescued by friends in Sydney Harbor waters
A shark attack in Sydney Harbor has left a 12-year-old Australian boy fighting for his life after friends jumped from cliff to rescue him from the water, authorities said.
He was attacked by a shark while he was swimming in the port of Sydney and is now in critical condition due to severe leg injuries. The boy, 13 years old, was recovered from the water near Shark Beach, in Nielsen Park park (eastern quarter of Vaucluse), around 16.20 on Sunday 18 January. At first he was rescued by the nautical police officers of New South Wales, who applied two hemostatic laces and gave the first care. The paramedics were able t…
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