A woman in her 30s is in a critical condition after being bitten by a large shark at Coogee beach on Saturday, with a witness describing the scene at the popular Sydney beach as “shocking”.A spokesperson for New South Wales Ambulance said the woman suffered arm and leg injuries and had been taken by road to St Vincent’s hospital.They said multiple crews had treated the woman on the beach after the attack, which occurred just after 11am.Surf Life Saving NSW (SLSNSW) said the woman had been taken to hospital “semiconscious and breathing”.A spokesperson for NSW police said the woman was pulled from the water by members of the public who began first aid until emergency services arrived.“Police rendered first aid to the woman, believed to be aged in her 30s, who has suffered serious arm and leg injuries, before NSW Ambulance paramedics attended,” they said.Police cleared nearby Coogee Oval to facilitate the landing of the Careflight helicopter to potentially airlift the woman to hospital.A swimmer at Coogee who was at the beach when the attack occurred said a member of their group heard a scream before the shark alarm sounded.The group walked closer and saw something had happened about 30 metres away.“It was a perfect day, really clear and still in the water,” the swimmer said.“There was a light blue surf ski and something going on. A life saver ran out, grabbed a surfboard and headed out to the surf ski.“You could see they were trying to paddle in and the victim was holding to the back of the surf ski.”The swimmer said blood was visible in the water at the site of the attack.“They brought the shark victim in. As they got to the edge of the water people gathered around and carried her in,” they said.The swimmer said the woman appeared to have a bite high on her leg.They said the woman was carried to shore and lifesavers arrived with medical equipment. The swimmer said their group saw the shark swimming “not quite in the shallows but not too far out, in that yellow green water”.While authorities have not yet confirmed the species of shark involved, Randwick council said the shark was believed to be three to four metres in size.“It’s shocking. People are in shock about it [because] it feels like a local city beach,” the witness said.At Tamarama beach to Coogee’s north, surf lifesavers cleared the water a short time later, telling swimmers and surfers the beach was being closed because of the incident.[ Why so many shark attacks in Sydney? ‘Perfect storm’ conditions, say expertsOpens in new window ]A SLSNSW spokesperson said council lifeguards, off duty lifesavers and the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter were among the responding services, with the chopper conducting surveillance of the area.The spokesperson said all beaches from Bondi to Maroubra had been closed and would remain closed for at least 24 hours.Chief executive Steve Pearce said it was the fourth serious shark incident in Sydney since September 2025.“We are sending our best wishes to the woman involved and her family at this time, after another terrible shark incident on our coastline,” he said.He said while the volunteer patrol season had ended, there were still lifesaving services including drone surveillances providing safety measures within coastal communities.Drones were in use at 14 locations around the state on Saturday but not at Coogee. SLSNSW said additional drone surveillance had been organised for Bondi and Bronte beaches on Saturday and Sunday, with further flights in the area to be assessed.Coogee beach, known for its relatively gentle surf, is popular with locals and tourists and draws thousands of visitors on summer days.Earlier this year, three people were attacked – one fatally – by sharks at Sydney beaches in a period of 48 hours. More recently, there have been two fatal attacks on spearfishers in Western Australia. – Guardian