A woman is fighting for life after being attacked by a tiger shark near Jurien Bay on Monday, with a sea lion tour group she was on helping her and bringing her to shore.
The woman, an overseas tourist in her 40s, is understood to have serious leg injuries after she was attacked by a 2m tiger shark in waist-deep water off Sandland Island.
The West can now reveal the woman’s current condition is listed as critical and she’s undergoing emergency surgery after being flown to Royal Perth Hospital by the RAC Rescue helicopter.
Emergency services rushed to the beach, near Jurien Bay, after the woman was reported to have been bitten by a shark at about 11.30am on Monday.
Following the attack, the woman was lifted back to shore, with the assistance of volunteer firefighters, where she was met by paramedics near the Jurien Bay Jetty and rushed to the local hospital via ambulance.
The West also understands a sea lion tour group — of which there are at least two that operate in Jurien Bay — assisted in bringing the woman back to shore.
It’s understood the woman was a part in the tour group when she was bitten by the shark. The response of the tour operators was described by one senior official as “prompt”.
On Monday morning, a Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development spokesman said an investigation into the incident was underway.
“DPIRD is working with local authorities and further information will be provided as it becomes available,” he said.
The Department has urged those in the area to adhere to any beach closures as local authorities coordinate responses.
Several beaches in the area have been closed.
Dandaragan Shire president Tony O’Gorman on Monday afternoon said swimmers should always be aware of the dangers when getting in the ocean.
“I’ve been in Jurien 10 years and this is the first shark attack. We’ve closed beached before but I haven’t seen something like this,” Mr O’Gorman said.
“There will always be sharks around. We go into the water knowing that and it’s just one of the risks — we go in knowing it’s their home and hunting ground.”
A local hospitality worker said the shark attack was alarming. “It’s concerning, everyone knows everyone on these boats,” they said.
Rangers have closed beaches between Sandy Cape to North Head and authorities are exercising “additional caution” in the Jurien Bay area.
According to the WA SharkSmart website, there have been two shark sightings in Jurien Bay over the past fortnight.
The first sighting was on February 11 when a member of the public reported a 3m shark of unknown species about 10m offshore of North Dog Beach. Then, on February 17, a 1.5m shark, species unknown, was spotted near the Jurien Bay boat ramp in the town’s marina.
People have posted on social media that a shark has been spotted “hanging around” the area “for weeks”, while one woman posted a video of a shark in the shallows with the comment “tried to chase if off last week”.
The reef off Sandland Island, which is in the Jurien Bay Marine Park has been described as “sharky”.
“Just make sure to take some friends as this spot is sharky,” the website Surfspots.com states.
Jurien Bay Marine Park is the only breeding area for Australian sea lions — some of the rarest in the world — on Australia’s west coast.
In April last year, the State Government approved three tour operators in Jurien Bay and one in Rockingham to conduct licensed swimming with sea lion trials.