‘Large Shark’ Mauls 12-Year-Old in Life-Threatening Sydney, Australia Attack
On Sunday, a young boy was attacked by a shark while swimming in Sydney.
The boy, unidentified as of now but reportedly 12 years old, was in the water at (ironically) Shark Beach at Nielsen Park in the suburb of Vaucluse around 4:20pm.
It’s understood that the victim suffered severe injuries to his legs from the attack, and he’s been transferred to the hospital in critical condition.
Per a statement from New South Wales Police:
“A teenage boy is in a critical condition in hospital after being bitten by a shark in Sydney Harbour late this afternoon.
“About 4:20pm today, Sunday 18 January 2026, emergency services were called to Hermitage Foreshore Walk, Steele Point Road, Vaucluse, near Shark Beach, following reports of a boy being bitten by a shark.
“The boy, aged 12, was rescued from the water off Shark Beach by officers from Marine Area Command and Eastern Suburbs Police within minutes of the of the call being made to 000.”
Upon arrival on the scene, emergency services applied tourniquets to quell the bleeding. And although no species of shark has been confirmed at this time, authorities report: “The injuries are consistent with what is believed to have been a large shark.”
Reportedly, there had been shark nets protecting the area around Nielsen Park previously, but they were damaged during large swells in April of 2025. At the time of the attack, the boy had been allegedly swimming outside of the protected shark net area.
Recently, shark sightings have been on the rise on Australia’s east coast, like a great white cruising through the Tweed River, near the famed Snapper Rocks surf spot. See below.
Back in September, surfer Mercury Psillakas was attacked and killed while in the water at Dee Why’s Long Reef. Following the 57-year-old’s tragic passing, his widow, Maria, advocated for enhanced shark deterrent action in the area.
“[I want to] make a positive out of this loss,” she said. “I want to advocate for evidence-based systems.”