A shark expert has confirmed the bite marks on the leg of a Surfers Paradise woman are likely the work of a juvenile bullshark

A SHARK expert has confirmed the bite marks on a woman’s thigh are consistent with those left by a juvenile bullshark.

Bianca Freeman was attacked by a shark in the Nerang River, Surfers Paradise. Photo by Richard Gosling

BIANCA Freeman has seen plenty of scary things during her time as a barmaid in Surfers Paradise.

But it was when she stepped 500m outside the entertainment precinct that Ms Freeman’s life was finally put at risk.

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Ms Freeman, 29, was attacked by a bull shark in the Nerang River behind the building where she lives, Condor, on Saturday night.

She was socialising with her friend Rhiannon Bonacchi after having a few drinks when she fell into the water about 9.30pm.

A few seconds later Ms Freeman screamed out “Something bit me”.

“I was not sure what was happening,” she said.

“It was such a surreal experience.”

A shocked Ms Bonacchi acted quickly and reached for her friend to pull her out of the water.

But before she could get to her, the shark came back twice more, leaving deep scratch marks as evidence.

Ms Bonacchi cleaned her friend’s wounds, which were bleeding badly, before helping Ms Freeman to hold closed the worst gash on her left thigh.

Then Ms Bonacchi called the Queensland Ambulance Service.

“She was amazing,” Ms Freeman said.

“It was worse for her than it was for me, because she was able to see it all ­happening.”

Ms Freeman was then transported to the 24-hour medical practice in Surfers Paradise Boulevard, where the doctor put 12 stitches in her legs.

Shark research scientist Dr Jonathan Werry said Ms Freeman’s wound appeared to have been inflicted by a single bite.

“The wound is pretty consistent with a bull shark about 1.2m in size,” Dr Werry said. “It is unfortunate she happened to enter the water when their activity increases, in an area where there is a deep hole.”

Dr Werry said the shark would have been drawn to Ms Freeman because she was splashing and treading water.

He said that in most cases, bull sharks tended to avoid humans.

“During the day, they sit at the bottom near these deep holes,” he said.

“But they become more active and feed at night.”

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Dr Werry also said that the shark activity would ­decrease as water temperatures fell.

Ms Freeman said she did not blame the shark, despite still not having fully recovered from the ordeal.

“It was not the shark’s fault,” she said.

“It was my fault.

“I am sure I interrupted him and gave him a fright.”

Ms Freeman expects to return to work at Waxy’s Irish Pub later this week.

“I am still in a fair bit of pain, but I am feeling better,” she said.

Meanwhile Bianca’s mother Barbara Freeman, who is visiting the Gold Coast on holiday from South Africa, almost “died of fright” when she heard about the attack.

“It was very traumatic,” she said.

“Where I come from is quite dangerous and I always think about the Gold Coast being safe.”

Mrs Freeman said she was thankful that her daughter had escaped with relatively minor injuries.

“The shark could have hit a vein or an artery or something,” she said.

Mrs Freeman had flown to the Gold Coast to look after her grandchildren while her other daughter went into hospital with her sick grandchild.

“It has been one thing after another,” she said.

“I can’t believe it.”