Shark Bite Kits
On one of my recent regular swims at Coogee Beach in April I noticed that shark bite kits (below left) had been installed along the promenade, as well as at surf clubs along the NSW coast, following a series of shark attacks in the area, some of which were fatal whilst others resulted in life-altering injuries.
The nature of the equipment provided in the kits exemplifies the critical need to stem the bleeding and is designed for members of the public to use. These kits are also referred to as the Danny Schouten Community Shark Bite Kits, so-named after the person whose initiative it was to place such kits at beaches after his friend was the victim of a serious shark bite. Nearly 250 have been installed at beaches in NSW and WA.
According to the Shark Incident files (refer below), most people survive shark bites but what often turns a shark bite into a fatality is the delay in stemming the loss of blood and administering emergency care to the victim.
An important risk mitigation for ocean swimmers therefore is to swim close to rescue infrastructure despite the low probability of interacting with sharks. As I was preparing this article on 13th June 2026, I was horrified by news bulletins that a 34-year-old female swimmer had been pulled from the shallow water at Coogee Beach in a critical condition after being bitten by a shark described by witnesses as “the size of a car”. The badly injured swimmer was treated by an emergency physician who had grabbed the very same shark bite kit (above) I had photographed just weeks earlier and, together with surf life guards, administered first aid on the beach. The swimmer was taken to hospital in a critical condition where she remains at the time of writing. The swift and skilled response most likely saved her life.
The 13th June 2026 screen shot (below) from One Shot Creative captures the image of the victim being treated on Coogee Beach and possibly the same culprit shark still close to shore.
The image on the below is what resilience, compassion and community spirit looks like when, on Sunday 21st June 2026 more than one thousand swimmers entered the water at Coogee Beach for a swim. The event was organised by the Randwick City Council and Coogee Surf Life Saving Club to assist the community process this traumatic event and to show support for the victim, young mother and local school teacher, Leah Stewart.
The Australian Shark Incident Files
The Australian Shark Incident Files (formerly known as the Shark Attack Files) is the pre-eminent research data base on shark bites in Australia having recorded every such incident since the first occurrence in 1791. The Files provide evidence-based information on shark incidences and thereby insights into how this risk might be managed and mitigated. Nevertheless, at these difficult times, all ocean swimmers ponder the efficacy of returning to the water; even though the likelihood of shark bites is low, the consequences can be devastating.
By Ria Bleathman, (Reproduced from the Brighton Iceberger Newsletter 16 July 2026)