A history of Sydney’s major incidents following the Elizabeth Bay shark attack

From Bondi to Avalon and the Harbour, Sydney is no stranger to serious shark maulings and fatal attacks after industrial practices taught them long ago that it was a great place to feed.

Police and members of the public look on as emergency services attempt to find the remains of Simon Nellist, who was killed by a great white shark off Little Bay – Sydney’s first fatal attack since 1963.

Sydney is no stranger to major shark attacks, with Monday evening’s incident at Elizabeth Bay the latest to rock the Harbour City.

Sydney woman Lauren O’Neill, 29, was mauled by a shark, believed to be a bull shark, at 7.30pm while swimming outside the beach’s netted area. She remains in a stable condition at hospital but has suffered massive blood loss and a severe leg injury.

Sugarloaf Bay

Perhaps Australia’s most high profile fatal shark attack saw well-known actress Marcia Hathaway, killed by what was described as a “monster” bull shark in Sugarloaf Bay in 1963.

Ms Hathaway was wading in waist-deep water on January 28 when the shark grabbed her leg, ripping off a large part of her limb.

Marcia Hathaway was killed by a shark at Sugarloaf Bay in 1963.

Her fiance Frederick Knight pulled her from the water but she died waiting for the ambulance to arrive.

The Courier Mail the following day published that her final words to her partner were: “Don’t worry about me, dear. God will look after me.”

Sydney Harbour

The first few months of 2009 saw three significant attacks in Sydney waters, the first on an Australian navy diver in Sydney Harbour.

Paul de Gelder was conducting anti-terrorism training at dawn on February 11 off Garden Island when a bull shark attacked him, its jaw so big it simultaneously bit into both his leg and arm.

Still grab taken from video showing diver Paul De Gelder as he is attacked by a bull shark in Sydney Harbour.

De Gelder lost a hand and a leg to a bull shark in Sydney Harbour.

De Gelder recalls attempting to swim back to a nearby rescue boat after fleeing the shark’s clutches realising he was missing his hand. His leg was eventually amputated as well.

Since the attack, he has dedicated his life to being a conservationist and increasing education around the misunderstood creatures.

Bondi Beach

The following day, Glenn Orgias was attacked by a 2.5 metre great white shark at the southern end of Bondi Beach, a spot that has a shark net.

The surfer’s hand was only attached to his arm by a three centimetre piece of skin following the mauling, but surgeons were successfully able to reattach it in an operation they described as a “miracle”.

Northern Beaches

A few weeks later on March 2, a 15-year-old boy was bitten by a shark at Avalon Beach on the Northern Beaches. The child was pulled from the water by his father who he was surfing with, before the parent applied a tourniquet to the significant wound.

Emergency services said the shark’s teeth had pierced his leg “through to the bone” and had ripped him from his board, but he never saw the creature that had attacked him.

In July 2019, Sydney’s famous Manly Beach was closed after a man was injured in a suspected shark attack during an early-morning swim.

The local — believed to be in his mid-40s — was swimming with friends at the adjoining Shelly Beach about 6am this morning when he thought he was bitten. He managed to swam to nearby rocks and raise the alarm.

He was treated by paramedics for a puncture wound to his back and injuries to his leg and stomach before being taken to hospital.

Glenn Orgias later wrote a book about his great white shark attack at Bondi Beach.

Little Bay

Locals say there is a large great white that frequents the area, often seen by spearfishers.

In 2021, Sydney was rocked by its first fatal shark attack in nearly 60 years when experienced ocean swimmer and British expat Simon Nellist was brutally mauled by a large great white shark off Little Bay.

Mr Nellist had been training for the Malabar ocean swim race, an event he participated in every year, when he was attacked by the shark near the rocks at the beach’s north end.

As the first fatal attack in the social media era, fishermen managed to catch the gruesome incident on camera, which was quickly widely distributed on the internet.

Only remains were found of Mr Nellist, while first responders were offered counselling due to the confronting nature of the scene.

Experts believe the shark had mistaken the swimmer for a seal, particularly given he was wearing a wetsuit, with an investigation finding the shark had been “provoked”, meaning the fisherman had likely been using bait to attract larger fish.

He was due to marry his fiancee just weeks following his death. She noted he was a “marine conservationist” as angry parts of the community demanded the government take action to protect swimmers.

Police and surf rescue are looking for the remains of Mr Nellist after he was killed by a large great white shark.

Monday evening’s attack at Elizabeth Bay has provided another wake up call for Sydneysiders, who have been warned by expects to see more sharks closer to shore given rising ocean temperatures and overfishing.

Ms O’Neill had been swimming outside the beach’s netted area in murky water early in the evening – a string of red flags as far as avoiding sharks.

Shark expert and marine biologist Lawrence Chlebeck said the shark was likely to have been a bull shark.

He also said swimming at night was “not a great idea”.

“We need to make it that education is more readily available, that swimming at night in the Harbour is just not a great idea,” Mr Chlebeck told Today.

Neighbours rush to help Lauren O’Neill who was attacked by a shark in Elizabeth Bay on Monday night.

Mr Chlebeck explained that abattoirs used to pour remains into the Harbour decades ago and sharks learnt the harbour was a great place to feed, which led to an influx in the area.

Bull sharks were used to hunting and feeding in estuaries such as Sydney Harbour, Mr Chlebeck said.

Talking to Sunrise, Mr Chlebeck said swimming at night in the harbour was “not advisable”.

“It’s an area of high shark activity,” he said.

“We know that the Harbour has this shark activity. People need to be aware of the risk. During the day, in full sun, is when sharks are a little less active.

“Their sensors are heightened in the evening and early mornings. Those are the times I would avoid swimming in the Harbour.”

Advice for managing risk remains the same as it always has been; avoid swimming at dawn and dusk when visibility is poor, avoid murky water and swim in netted areas, particularly in the harbour.