Karmactive Staff
A 16-year-old boy is in serious but stable condition after being attacked by a shark at Cabarita Beach on NSW’s Far North Coast on Sunday afternoon.
The teen was swimming near Norries Headland shortly before 4 PM when the shark bit him, causing what NSW Ambulance described as “traumatic injuries” to his right arm, right leg, and wrist.
In dramatic footage shared on social media, fellow surfers and beachgoers can be seen rushing to help the injured teenager. The shark’s fin is visible in the shallow water as rescuers pull the boy to shore, with one heroic person seen trying to fend off the shark.
“There were some very brave surfers and swimmers that came to the young boy’s aid and helped him into shore,” said Lauren Stokes, an off-duty Queensland paramedic who happened to be at the beach and provided critical first aid.
Bystanders applied a tourniquet to stop the bleeding before emergency services arrived. They used a surfboard as a makeshift stretcher to carry the teen from the water to the beach carpark.
“There were significant injuries,” Stokes told reporters. She praised the teenager for remaining “calm and composed” during the ordeal.
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The boy was airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter Service. As of Monday morning, he remains in a serious but stable condition.
NSW Surf Lifesaving CEO Stephen Pearce said whale migration season typically brings increased shark activity to coastal waters.
“There’s a super highway of humpback whales going up and down the coast,” Pearce explained. “There are always a lot of other marine life following these whales on their migration.”
According to reports, NSW Shark Smart tagged and released a tiger shark at Cabarita on Thursday, though the species involved in Sunday’s incident has not been confirmed.
Cabarita Beach has been closed for 24 hours following the attack. Authorities are using drones to conduct further searches of the water, though initial helicopter sweeps detected no shark activity in the area.
This incident occurs in a region that has experienced previous shark encounters, including a 2020 incident where foilboarder Christian Bungate was bitten at the same beach.
Pearce urged swimmers and surfers to remain vigilant, especially during whale migration season. “The message is for everyone just to be really aware and observant,” he said. “Don’t surf at dawn or dusk or at river mouths or in murky water.”
