A shark expert has expressed his shock after a woman was bitten by a suspected great white shark while swimming between the flags at a busy Sydney beach. 

The swimmer, aged in her 30s, suffered serious arm and leg injuries at Coogee Beach in Sydney's eastern suburbs just before 11.15am on Saturday. 

Members of the public pulled the woman from the water before police performed first aid until paramedics arrived. 

Witnesses told the Daily Telegraph the shark was up to 3.5metres long, describing it as 'the size of a car'.

Photos from the scene show a white sheet held up by emergency responders as the woman was treated in an ambulance near the water's edge.

Shark expert Dr Daryl McPhee, an associate professor in environmental science at Bond University, said the shark may have been a great white. 

We're unsure at this stage but, given the time of the year and the location, it is most likely a white shark,' he told the Daily Mail.

'As the water cools around the Sydney region, you expect to see less bull sharks and more great white sharks.'

Dr McPhee said shark bites do occur at this time of year but was alarmed by reports that the attack had occurred in shallow water between swimming flags. 

'There's one thing that's out of character, which was that it occurred between the flags,' he said.

'That's an area where there's normally a lot more people, there's a lot more eyes on the water, there's surf lifesavers.' 

Shark nets, about 150 metres long and set six metres deep, were removed from beaches in the electorate on April 30.

They will be reinstalled by the council on September 1. 

SMART drumlines remain in place at the beach, which use baited hooks attached to floating buoys to trigger an alert to authorities. 

Dr McPhee said one shark attack does not directly correlate to moving the nets.

'Shark nets are highly contentious, with questions on whether they work or not, and their impacts on other wildlife,' he said. 

'There's a clear push among some Sydneysiders to increase the number of nets and increase the amount of lethal activity directed at white sharks.

'However, on the flip side, a lot of people oppose shark nets in general because of those impacts on the fauna. 

'The government has attempted to take a central path, where nets are in place for the busiest times of the year and removed during the migration period.'

Journalist Alison Stephenson said the swimmer had been doing laps close to shore when screams were heard and 'a lot of blood' was seen in the water. 

'I was just sitting on the beach with my three kids, it's the most beautiful day – then at 11.10am I just saw the shark attack,' she told the Daily Telegraph.

'I then saw the tail and the fin, and some thrashing and screaming, there was confusion.

'A lifeguard on a surfboard swam out to her and then just turned around and did a big X symbol with his arms, the shark alarm sounded not long after, the woman was screaming. After that, there was a lot of blood in the water.'

However, some witnesses have criticised the 'lack of humanity' from one beachgoer, claiming a man was recording the rescue.

'I took it upon myself to address the man, and laid into him, and he denied the whole thing while still livestreaming,' a social media user wrote.

'Then I hear a couple of children with an adult (say), 'I better get on TV.' To which, the other responded, 'I definitely will.'

'Teach your children empathy and respect, my goodness.' 

Randwick City Council has closed nearby beaches, including Coogee, Clovelly and Bronte. 

The attack comes after a diver died after being mauled by a shark in front of loved ones off the Western Australia coast last Saturday. 

Daniel Turpin, a 35-year-old panel beater, was spearfishing with family when he was bitten by a suspected 4.5metre shark just before 11.30am at Michaelmas Island off Albany, 400km southeast of Perth. 

In January, NSW was rocked by a series of shark attacks over a 48-hour period.

Nico Antic, 12, was bitten by a bull shark while he was jumping off rocks with friends near Nielsen Park in Sydney's east. He was rushed to hospital with severe injuries to both of his legs and died almost a week later on January 24. 

The attacks sparked a mass closure of Sydney beaches, with experts linking the surge to murky water conditions, heavy rain and increased bait fish activity.

Dr McPhee said experts are noticing a long-term trend in increased shark bites, including fatal bites.

'In terms of fatal bites in Australian waters, between 2000 and 2019, on average, there were 1.65 fatal bites per year. But between 2020 and 2025, there was on average four, and in 2026 there has already been four,' he said.

'In NSW, the increase in bites from 2000 was principally as a result of bites from northern NSW and the mid-north coast. 

'What has been unusual this year is that two bites that resulted in serious injuries and one fatal bite were in the Sydney area.'

In his data specific to NSW, Dr McPhee noted that, between 2000 and 2019, there were on average 4.6 fatal and non-fatal shark bites per year.

Between 2020 and 2025, there were on average 4.16 shark bites per year.

But, in 2026 there have been six so far.