Just before 8pm last night, a young woman was bitten by a shark while swimming a short distance from a private wharf on Billyard Avenue in Elizabeth Bay to a nearby boat.

The woman, in her late twenties, was seen attempting to pull herself out of the water when she was spotted by local residents – including a vet – who provided her with first aid until paramedics arrived on the scene.

NSW Ambulance acting inspector Brett Simpson, who spoke to media on the scene, praised the bystanders for their quick thinking and effective first aid.

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A rescue helicopter was on stand-by in a local park but, thankfully, the woman was able to be transported to the nearby St Vincent’s Hospital via road. As of Tuesday morning she is in a stable condition after the bite on her leg, which is believed to have come from a bull shark.

A police statement confirmed her condition and shared that Marine Area Command were patrolling the area as a precaution.

Councillor Linda Scott also put out a statement saying she was “extremely concerned to learn of a shark attack in our City of Sydney … please, stay out of the harbour until further notice”.

It was just a short distance from the scene of another famous harbour attack in 2009 where navy diver Paul de Gelder suffered a near-fatal mauling by a bull shark during a training exercise.