New details emerge after shark attack at Cabarita Beach

TWEED beaches remain closed after a 16-year-old boy was attacked by a shark at Cabarita Beach yesterday.

At approximately 3.45 pm on Sunday, the young swimmer was attacked by an unidentified shark, sustaining wounds to the leg, hand and arm and airlifted to hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter where he remains in a stable condition.

NSW Surf Life Saving Club duty officer at Cabarita Matt Bell said there had so far been no sightings of the shark or others in the immediate vicinity.

 

“It’s protocol after an incident like this, so they’re closed from Fingal Head down to Hastings Point,” Bell said.

“We do have drone surveillance up in the air, and we have seen animals out there, but can’t confirm what they are yet.

Nearby surfers and swimmers, including Queensland-based off-duty paramedic Lauren Stokes, were quick to help rescue the boy and administered first aid, including applying tourniquets to the wounds while paramedics arrived.

 

“The community did a great job in getting the patient out of the water and applying first aid straight away,” Bell said.

“The off-duty paramedic applied a makeshift tourniquet using a leg rope, and by the time they got the patient up to the car park and a waiting ambulance, she had a tourniquet in a car and utilised that.”

On the shark’s proximity to the shore, Bell said that there were always sharks in the ocean, just that we didn’t know their exact location.

 

“The closeness was a bit odd, but not being a shark expert, I can’t say,” he said.

“We know they’re out there, and they do come in close to shore, but certainly not very often in this area.”

A spokesperson for Tweed Shire Council said on Facebook that the council acknowledged the many locals who assisted at the scene.

 

“We thank you for your compassion and for illustrating the kindness of the community here on the Tweed Coast,” the post stated.

“We would also like to extend our best wishes to the victim and his family. We are all wishing for a speedy recovery for him.”

Surf Life Saving NSW will reassess beach conditions at 9 am Tuesday.