A young mother is fighting for her life after a shark attack at Sydney's Coogee Beach, with officials declaring 'nothing is off the table' amid growing calls for shark culls.

The woman, in her 30s, suffered devastating injuries to her arm and leg when she was bitten just 30 metres from the shore on Saturday morning.

The attack, which unfolded in front of shocked beachgoers, has reignited debate about shark management and renewed calls for culling in popular swimming areas.

NSW Minister for Agriculture Tara Moriarty thanked the emergency services and locals who rushed to help the woman.

'It's a very traumatic experience for the people who were involved, and I know that the community will thank them,' she told reporters on Sunday.

'Nothing is off the table in terms of how we keep the community safe. My thoughts are with the victim and her family.'

Moriarty said shark nets would be installed from September 1 and the government was seeking expert advice from the Department of Primary Industries. 

Existing mitigation measures include drone surveillance and shark-tagging programs.

'We swim in the ocean with living, breathing animals and we have to share the ocean every day,' Moriarty said.

The victim was airlifted to St Vincent's Hospital after being brought from the water by an off-duty lifeguard. 

Surf Life Saving NSW said she was semi-conscious and breathing when transported for treatment. She remains in hospital as of Sunday morning.

The incident has prompted strong calls from NSW independent MP Rod Roberts for shark culls around heavily populated beaches.

'We're not talking about culling out on the Great Barrier Reef, just the popular swimming areas around Sydney,' Roberts said.

Marine experts and conservationists, however, have warned that culling is neither a sustainable nor scientifically supported solution to reducing shark attacks.

Footage captured by the Westpac Life Saver Rescue Helicopter showed a large shark swimming close to shore after the attack. 

The animal is believed to have been between three and four metres long and may be a great white shark, a protected species 

All of Sydney's eastern suburbs beaches remain closed after Randwick City Council ordered a 24-hour shutdown following the attack. 

The closure includes Coogee, Clovelly and Maroubra beaches, as well as all other ocean beaches under council management.

Bondi, Bronte and Tamarama beaches were also closed as a precaution.

A Coogee Surf Life Saving Club Life Member paid tribute to the emergency responders involved in the rescue and offered support to the victim and her family.

'Our hearts go out to the young mother who was seriously injured in the shark attack at Coogee yesterday, and her family,' he wrote on social media.

'To those two surf lifesavers who responded to assist the lady back to shore, you are more than brave, and thank you for your selfless response.'

The Department of Primary Industries and Fisheries' shark programs leader Marcel Green described the attack as a rare and unpredictable event.

'She 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 along the NSW coastline.

The attack comes amid heightened concern over shark activity in Australian waters. The most recent fatal attack occurred on June 6 when 35-year-old diver Daniel Turpin was killed by a suspected 4.5-metre shark while spearfishing near Albany in Western Australia.

Coogee Surf Life Saving Club will host a community gathering on Monday evening at 6.30pm.