Teenage boy in serious condition after shark attack at famous beach

A teenage boy has suffered serious injuries after being bitten by a shark at a beach in New South Wales, Australia. Emergency services were called to Cabarita Beach, between Tweed Heads and Byron Bay, at 3.50pm local time on Sunday (June 29) after the attack.

Surfers and two off-duty paramedics rushed to the boy's aid, reportedly applying a tourniquet to help stop the bleeding. The teenager suffered injuries to his arms and hands and was airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter in a "serious but stable" condition. Australia is home to a wide variety of sharks, with over 170 species recorded.

Some of the most well-known and frequently encountered include the Great White Shark, Tiger Shark, Bull Shark and Grey Nurse Shark. Great White Sharks (Carcharodon carcharias) can live for over 70 years and can span up to 21 feet long. They can also weigh up to 4,500 pounds (2,041kg). The great white shark's infamous smile is made up of seven rows of serrated, 2.5-inch-long teeth.

In New South Wales, shark fatalities are rare, but it is thought there have been three deaths since 2021.

The shocking attack comes just weeks after a teenage girl was killed in a horrifying shark attack at Bribie Island, north of Brisbane. Charlize Zmuda, 17, sadly passed away despite efforts from the Queensland Ambulance Service. Her family have said that they wanted to focus on the "incredible life she lived and not the awful way she died". They said in a statement: "Charlize was loved by many and was such a shining light who truly touched the lives of everyone she met."

Further afield, several shark attacks have been reported in the United States in the past few weeks. A nine-year-old girl nearly lost her hands in a shark attack while snorkelling off the coast of Florida. Leah Lendel was swimming near the shore at a beach in Boca Grande on Wednesday, June 11, when a shark attacked, partially severing her hand.

A beach in Florida, in fact, has the highest rate of shark attacks, with over 300 incident reports made. It is the site of the most shark bites anywhere in the United States, making it one of the most dangerous seaside locations on the planet. Despite the large number of attacks, many have only resulted in minor injuries.

New Smyrna Beach's waters are home to many kinds of sharks, most commonly blacktip sharks, spinner sharks, and bull sharks. The shark activity is most common from April to October.