‘Should be dead’: Update on woman mauled by bull shark at Gunyah Beach

A woman who suffered severe leg injuries after being mauled by a bull shark has released an update and what she plans to do following the attack.

A woman who was mauled by a suspected bull shark in Sydney’s southern outskirts intends to but a lottery ticket after claiming she “should be dead”.

Mangyon “Mani” Zhang, 57, was paddle boarding at Gunyah Beach in Bundeena about 1.30pm on Friday when she was mauled by a shark.

Ms Zhang was alone at the time and about 10m from the shore when the attack occurred.

Mangyon Zhang suffered severe leg injuries in a suspected bull shark attack at Gunyah Beach. Picture: Facebook

On Saturday, her partner Maria Masutti shared an update on Ms Zhang’s condition and confirmed she was “in good spirits” following four-hour surgery.

“My beautiful partner Mangyon is doing as well as can be expected,” she wrote on social media.

“She has quite a severe laceration to her outer right leg, to the bone – calf and thigh, and inside thigh.

“Thankfully, it missed the arteries.”

While surgeons successfully operated on Ms Zhang on Friday afternoon, medical staff had to “leave her wound open“ in an effort to undergo further surgeries and assess the injuries.

She said she was lucky to be alive.

After waking on Saturday, the first thing Ms Zhang told her partner was “I should be dead”.

“It was a very traumatic experience although she didn’t feel pain or see the shark (just left a strong ‘whoosh’ sensation and then numbness and lots of blood),” her partner wrote online.

”It took a while to get attention and she couldn’t move her body to swim and was afraid of splashing in case the shark came back … she thought she was going to drown.”

Ms Masutti said her partner was in “surprisingly good spirits” following the attack and now “intends to buy a lottery ticket”.

A bull shark had been detected several times in the area, leading the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development to determine it was “likely responsible” for the attack.

The sharks thrive in both salt and freshwater and are usually found in shallow and warm waters, can reach up to 2.4m in length and are some of the most aggressive species of sharks.

Beaches in the area were temporarily closed after the bull shark attack.

As a precaution, Sutherland Shire Council closed Bate Bay beaches Cronulla Beach, Elouera Beach, North Cronulla Beach, Wanda Beach, Greenhills Beach, Horderns Beach, Gunyah Beach and Silver Beach.

All beaches had since reopened, the council confirmed on Sunday morning.

“Our lifeguards continue to monitor surf conditions, and we ask all beachgoers to follow any instructions provided and keep an eye on signage,” a statement read.

Originally published as ‘Should be dead’: Update on woman mauled by bull shark at Gunyah Beach