‘Full-on’: Heroic rescuer reveals gruesome details of horror shark attack at Cabarita Beach, NSW

One of the brave bystanders who pulled a 16-year-old boy mauled by a shark from the surf has revealed gruesome details of the horror attack.

A heroic bystander who helped rescue a teen from being mauled by a shark in northern NSW has revealed horrific details of the attack.

Terrifying footage emerged of the moment a 16-year-old boy was attacked by a shark while swimming in the water off Norris Headland at Cabarita Beach – between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay – shortly before 4pm on Sunday.

The shark – which witnesses said was 2m long – mauled the right side of the teen’s body, injuring his leg, hand and arm.

Bystanders rushed to the boy’s aid as he cried for help, pulling him from the water.

One of the rescuers was 39-year-old Thiago Collel, a volunteer Surf Life Saver from Brazil, who rushed to the boy’s side.

A teenager has been injured in a shark attack off the NSW coast. Picture: Instagram

“When I got to the shore, he had been dragged in by a group of people including an off-duty paramedic who happened to be walking on the beach at the time,” he told Daily Mail Australia.

Mr Collel also revealed the gruesome injuries the teenager suffered at the jaws of the shark, leaving his rescuers covered in blood.

“His bicep was destroyed – you could see all the muscle, flesh and bone” he said.

“He lost a scary amount of blood. I was covered in it.”

He explained the bystanders were “trying to keep (the boy) calm” as they worked to get him out of the water.

Mr Collel recalled how the teenager bravely kicked and punched the shark in the face in an attempt to flee.

“I just kept talking to him and he told me how he fought off the shark by kicking and punching it away,” he said.

“It was full-on but wasn’t so scary, because I think I knew what to do and was so focused on making sure he was stable.”

Horrifying footage shows the shark lurking behind as the teenager was dragged out of the water, with one heroic person punching the shark to keep it away.

An off-duty paramedic from Queensland was among those who helped the teen, using a surfboard as a makeshift stretcher.

They applied a tourniquet and carried him to the nearby carpark.

Footage shared to social media shows the moment the teenager was pulled from the waves, with surfers and other beachgoers working together to bring him to safety.

It shows the shark trailing behind the group as the boy was being taken back to the shore, its fin emerging from the water as it follows the rescuers towards the beach.

A man could be seen rushing towards the water and punching the shark away as others rescued the teenager.

“Oh my god, that’s the shark,” an onlooker said as they watched the teenager be carried out of the water.

“Oh s**t,” a woman added. “Oh f***. That’s actually really scary!”

Other surfers could be seen running from the beach for help.

The teenager was dragged to safety by brave bystanders. Picture: Instagram

Chilling footage before the attack revealed the moment the shark dragged the teenager underwater, its fin rising through the water before its attack.

Members of the crowd screamed as they rushed the boy to the sand, gathering around him as the off-duty paramedic started to treat his injuries.

Speaking to Today, witness Bodie said he was in the water with a friend when he saw a “black figure” about 40m away.

“We just kept surfing and then like as it happened, the kid just started screaming and all the kids surfing near him just started paddling in,” he said.

The shark was about “seven foot” long, Bodie said.

The teen suffered injuries to his arm and leg. Picture: Instagram

Tweed Shire councillor James Owen said the shark was in “ankle deep water” during the attack, which he claimed was rare as a “getting struck by lightning”.

He commended the bystanders who worked to clear the water.

“Incredible effort by those people that helped the young boy out water and tended to him before the emergency services arrived,” he told Today.

“There was some older surfers that were marshalling in the young guys to make sure they got in.”

The teenager was flown to hospital with serious injuries. Picture: 9News

A Surf Life Saving NSW spokesman told NewsWire the “conscious and breathing” teenager was flown to Gold Coast University Hospital.

A second helicopter tried to locate the shark.

“The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter conducted sweeps of the area but no shark activity was sighted,” they said.

“A jet ski was used to clear other surfers from the water.”

The Surf Life Saving crew will use drones to conduct further searches of the water on Monday.

The shark was seen in “ankle deep water”. Picture: 7News

Surf Life Saving chief executive Steve Pearce said there was no shark sighted during the sweeps, but there were “plenty of dolphins” in the area.

This time of year produces a “fair bit of shark activity”, he said, adding there was a “super highway” of humpback whales “going up and down the coast”.

“There are always a lot of other marine life, following these whales on their migration,” he said.

He added the boy was in the “wrong place wrong time”.

“The message is for everyone just to be really aware and vigilant and observant,” he said.

“Don’t surf on dawn or dusk or at river mouths or in murky water.”

Cabarita Beach will remain closed for 24 hours.

Originally published as ‘Full-on’: Heroic rescuer reveals gruesome details of horror shark attack at Cabarita Beach, NSW