‘Horrendous’ scene facing rescuers after 12-year-old boy bitten by shark at Sydney Harbour beach

A young boy is “in for the fight of his life” after being bitten by a large shark at a Sydney Harbour beach.

The 12-year-old was jumping off a 6m rock with two mates in Vaucluse about 4:20 PM on Sunday when he was attacked.

Superintendent Joseph McNulty said his legs were bitten by what is believed to be a bull shark; however, the species has not been confirmed.

One of the victim’s friends jumped into the water and pulled him out, while another helped both back onto the rock. Officers onboard a police boat attended first and applied two tourniquets, one to each leg, to stem the bleeding. The boy was unconscious at the time and had lost a lot of blood, McNulty said.

Eastern suburbs police responded and helped put the boy onto a boat, where CPR was performed as it sailed off at high-speed to Rose Bay Wharf. He was rushed into an ambulance, where he received a blood transfusion and was taken to Randwick Children’s Hospital.

NSW Ambulance inspector Giles Buchanan stated that by the time paramedics began treating the boy, it was a resuscitation effort and that it was “touch and go” the whole way to the hospital. The tourniquets applied to the boy’s legs were credited with saving his life.

McNulty described the scene police were confronted with as “horrendous” and praised the emergency services, saying that their “textbook recovery effort” had given him the best chance at survival.

The boy underwent surgery overnight and remains in the ICU surrounded by his friends and family. While the shark that attacked the boy is believed to be a bull shark, it has not been located. Police will collaborate with the Department of Primary Industries to assess what kinds of sharks have been in the area.

Authorities warned against swimming in the harbour due to poor visibility conditions, advising the public to avoid it for safety reasons.