IN BRIEF
- The NSW government says "nothing is off the table" in keeping the community safe after Saturday's shark attack.
- An expert says the woman attacked was "doing everything right" but was just very unlucky.
The latest shark attack that critically injured a woman in front of shocked swimmers at a popular Sydney beach has reignited calls for culling.
And the NSW government is not ruling out the measure.
The attack happened about 20-30 metres from shore and between the flags at Sydney's popular Coogee Beach about 11am on Saturday.
The woman, believed to be in her 30s, was airlifted to hospital after being brought from the water by an off-duty lifeguard.
It has prompted strong calls by NSW independent MP Rod Roberts to cull sharks for the sake of community safety.
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Agriculture Minister Tara Moriarty did not rule it out on Sunday.
"Nothing is off the table in terms of how we keep the community safe," she told reporters.
Shark nets would be installed on 1 September and the government was seeking expert advice from the Department of Primary Industries, Ms Moriarty said.
Mitigation programs included drone surveillance and shark tagging.
"We swim in the ocean with living, breathing animals and we have to share the ocean every day," she said.
Mr Roberts said swimmers needed to be protected.
"We're not talking about culling out on the Great Barrier Reef, just the popular swimming areas around Sydney," he said.
Marine experts and conservationists warn culling is not a sustainable, scientifically grounded solution.
Footage from a Westpac Life Saving Rescue Helicopter shows a large shark swimming close to the shore after the attack.
Beaches remain closed
All of Sydney's eastern suburbs beaches remain closed after Randwick City Council made the call to prohibit anyone entering the surf during the 24 hours following the attack.
The closure includes Coogee, Clovelly and Maroubra beaches, and "all other ocean beaches under council management".
As a precaution, Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches are also closed.
Surf Life Saving NSW officials said the woman was taken to St Vincents Hospital with serious arm and leg injuries but was "semi-conscious and breathing".
Guards stationed at the beach responded immediately, administering emergency first aid and CPR before paramedics arrived, Randwick mayor Dylan Parker said.
The shark involved is believed to be three-to-four metres long and possibly a Great White, which is a protected species.
An exemption to fly drones has been sought by SLNSW from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, Ms Moriarty confirmed.
Lifeguards were seen testing them out on Coogee beach.
The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries shark programs leader Marcel Green said Saturday's attack was "unique and different".
"She (the swimmer) was doing everything right but it was just one of those random events and we can never be protected 100 per cent every day, all the time," he said.
About 170 white sharks have been detected by the department's listening stations dotted across the entirety of the state's coastline.
Coogee Surf Life Saving Club will host a community gathering on Monday at 6.30pm.
Spate of recent shark attacks
Saturday's shark attack follows a horrendous summer during which NSW experienced its highest number of January attacks in the past decade, according to the Australian Shark Incident Database.
Australia has the second-highest number of recorded shark incidents globally, averaging 22 bites per year, the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says.
The most recent fatal attack in Australian waters happened on 6 June, when 35‑year‑old diver Daniel Turpin was bitten by a suspected 4.5‑metre shark while spearfishing with his family off Michaelmas Island near Albany.
His death followed the killing of 38‑year‑old Perth father Steven Mattaboni off Rottnest Island on 16 May, and 39‑year‑old Queensland spearfisher Michael Jensz at Kennedy Shoal south of Cairns on May 24.
Both Western Australian attacks are believed to have involved great whites, while evidence points to Jensz having been taken by a bull shark.
In January, NSW made international headlines after recording four shark attacks in 48 hours.
Two resulted in people being hospitalised in critical condition, while the other two escaped without serious injuries.
The first of those maulings also occurred in Sydney's east, near Shark Beach.
Also in January, 12-year-old Nico Antic was rushed to hospital in a critical condition after being rescued by mates, police said at the time.
He later died from his injuries.
In April, Surf Life Saving NSW announced shark bite trauma kits would be installed at every surf club across the state following a wave of attacks.
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