Woman mauled by shark off Sydney beach grabs onto a lifeguard’s paddleboard

An 11-foot shark critically injured a woman off a popular Sydney beach on Saturday, and she managed to grab onto a lifeguard’s paddleboard before they made it to shore.

MELBOURNE, Australia — An 11-foot shark critically injured a woman off a popular Sydney beach on Saturday, and she managed to grab onto a lifeguard’s paddleboard before they made it to shore.

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The 35-year-old suffered serious leg and arm injuries in the attack at 11:15 a.m. off Coogee Beach, a police statement said.

“I saw the shark come out of the water and just the size of it shocked me,” lifeguard Charlie Verco told Sydney’s The Sunday Telegraph newspaper. He was in the area on his 18-foot paddleboard and was the first rescuer to the scene.