What started out as a sunny afternoon swim quickly turned into a terrifying encounter when a 16-year-old boy was bitten by a shark just metres from the shore at Cabarita Beach on the New South Wales far north coast.
Shark Attack Sends Beachgoers Into Panic
The teen was swimming on Sunday afternoon when the unthinkable happened—a shark lunged at him, inflicting injuries to his right arm, wrist, and leg.
Chaos erupted on the beach as swimmers scrambled out of the water and others rushed to help.
Disturbing footage shared online shows the two-metre-long shark circling in the shallow surf as beachgoers try to drag the injured boy to safety.
“Oh my God, that’s the shark,” someone is heard shouting in disbelief.
A woman’s voice adds, “Oh f***. That’s really scary!”
Brave Rescuer Jumps In and Punches Shark
Amid the panic, one beach hero didn’t hesitate.
He charged straight into the water and punched the shark to protect the boy.
The moment was caught on camera and has been widely praised as a selfless act of courage.
As others rushed to pull the teen out of the water, the shark was still lurking close by, forcing rescuers to act quickly and carefully.
A surfboard was grabbed and used as an improvised stretcher to get the teen off the sand and away from danger.
Off-Duty Paramedics Jump In to Help
Once on dry land, the teen was taken to a nearby car park, where—luckily—two off-duty paramedics were on hand.
They quickly applied a tourniquet to control the bleeding until emergency services arrived.
NSW paramedic Ben Mumford later praised everyone involved.
“There were some incredibly brave people who jumped in to help him,” Mumford said.
“And the off-duty paramedics on the scene made a real difference before we got there.”
Airlifted to Hospital in Serious Condition
The boy was flown by Westpac Rescue Helicopter to Gold Coast University Hospital.
As of the latest update, he remains in a serious but stable condition.
His injuries are significant, but thanks to the quick actions of those nearby, he received crucial help fast.
Shark Evades Aerial Search
Authorities immediately launched an aerial search for the shark, deploying a second helicopter to scan the waters around the beach.
However, despite the effort, the shark couldn’t be found.
It’s still not clear what species of shark was involved in the attack, but it’s worth noting that NSW Shark Smart had tagged and released a tiger shark in the area just three days earlier.
Beach Closed as Investigation Continues
Following the incident, Cabarita Beach was closed to the public on Monday as officials assessed the situation and monitored for further shark activity.
The community remains shaken, but grateful that the situation wasn’t even worse.
A Stark Reminder About Ocean Safety
This terrifying encounter is yet another reminder of the unpredictability of ocean swimming, especially in shark-prone areas.
It also highlights the incredible bravery of everyday people who step up in moments of crisis—risking their own safety to save someone else.
As the young victim recovers, many are calling the rescuer who fought off the shark a hero—and rightly so.