Shark attack survivor Leah Stewart, 34, has recounted her harrowing battle with a four-metre great white shark at a Sydney beach, describing how thoughts of her baby daughter spurred her to fought like hell
to stay alive. The attack occurred on a winter’s Saturday morning on June 13, when Stewart was swimming between the safety flags in clear waters at Coogee Beach, a location that had not reported a shark attack in more than a hundred years.
A Terrifying Encounter at Coogee Beach
Stewart, a teacher and mother-of-one, was just about to head into shore to play with her one-year-old daughter, August, when she heard a shrill shriek behind her. Turning around, she spotted a massive fin and initially mistook it for a dolphin before realizing its true scale. As she attempted to swim to shore, the shark drew closer. Looking into the animal’s beady black eyes, Stewart decided to throw a left hook with her forearm, which the shark grabbed and severely mangled.
Fighting Off the Great White and the Rescue Effort
The predator was not finished. The four-metre great white grabbed Stewart’s leg and dragged her under the water. Remembering her child, Stewart mentally fought back, recalling thinking, You ugly f—er. You are not taking me away from my daughter
. She twisted around and repeatedly punched the creature until it finally let her go, describing the physical struggle as being like fighting a dinosaur
or punching a brick wall
.
About 100 metres away, world champion paddleboarder Charlie Verco was training for a race and witnessed the shark come out of the water amidst a cloud of blood. Verco signaled lifeguards to sound the alarm, rushed to help, and assisted in bringing Stewart onto the sand alongside others while police officers and medical professionals made desperate efforts to stem the catastrophic blood loss using a tourniquet from a riot squad uniform.
Surgeries, Recovery, and Community Support
Trauma specialist Ian Ferguson and surgeon Kim Isaacs both admitted they feared Stewart would not survive the severity of her injuries and blood loss. Stewart spent two weeks in a coma—including 10 days in an induced coma—and underwent multiple surgeries. Ultimately, her left arm could not be saved and was amputated below the elbow.
Since regaining consciousness, Stewart has been learning to walk again and rehabilitating her severely injured right hand with therapist Meredith Rogers. Despite the immense physical and emotional toll, Stewart emerged from the ordeal with a tangible piece of her attacker: a broken-off piece of the shark’s tooth. It’s a symbol of what I survived
Stewart said. I took home something from him. He took a lot away from me, but I got a tooth
.
A fundraiser established for Stewart has raised close to US$400,000 to support her recovery process, assist with prosthetics and rehabilitation, and help her stay in her own home while receiving ongoing medical treatment.
