A Sydney mother mauled by a suspected white shark at Coogee Beach has spoken her first words after briefly waking from an induced coma.

Sunday’s fundraiser for Leah Stewart helped ease the psychological tussle between the lure of the ocean and a fear of its most dangerous predators.

Leah Stewart remains in a critical but stable condition at St Vincent’s Hospital.

The beloved mum has been woken from a coma after the Sydney attack.