By Rod McGuirk
MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — A man and a boy were seriously injured and another boy was bitten on a surfboard during three separate incidents. shark The attacks occurred in Sydney over a period of just over 24 hours, police said on Monday.
A police statement said a surfer in his 20s was bitten in the leg by a shark off North Steyne Beach on the Pacific coast in the northern suburb of Manly at 6:20pm local time on Monday.
Police said passers-by pulled him out of the water before an ambulance took him to the hospital in critical condition.
On Sunday, a 12-year-old boy suffered serious injuries to his legs after jumping from a 20-foot high ledge known as Jump Rock, near Shark Beach inside Sydney Harbor in the eastern suburb of Vaucluse. The police credited the boy’s three friends with saving his life by jumping from the cliff during the attack and pulling him to shore.
“The actions of his colleagues who went into the water to pull him out were nothing short of courageous,” Supt. Joseph McNulty told reporters.
“The actions of these young men are brave under these circumstances and very severe injuries for these boys to see,” McNulty added.
Media reported that the boy lost his legs in the attack.
At around noon on Monday, an 11-year-old boy riding a surfboard was attacked by a shark at Dee Why Beach, an ocean beach north of Manly. The shark bit off a piece of the board, but the boy escaped unharmed.
Local authorities said Sydney’s northern beaches, including North Steyne and Dee Why, will remain closed until further notice.
All three beaches near where the attacks occurred have some form of shark protection netting. It was not immediately clear where the attacks occurred in relation to those nets.
Authorities suspect bull sharks are responsible for at least the first two attacks.
Police had warned after the first attack that the recent heavy rains that fell on Sydney had led to an increase in the amount of fresh and turbid water inside the harbour, increasing the danger of the bull shark.
Dee Why Beach is located near Ocean Reef Beach where it is located 57 year old surfer She was killed by a suspected white shark last September.
In November, the Swiss tourist was 25 years old killing Her partner was seriously injured while trying to rescue her while swimming off a national park north of Sydney.