A hero surf lifesaver who paddled into the path of a shark to save a woman at one of Sydney's most famous beaches says she had done 'all the right things' before the predator struck.
Charlie Verco told 7NEWS it was a normal Saturday morning at Coogee beach before the horror unfolded.
'She was doing all the right things: swimming on a clear day, middle of the day, busy beach, not very far from shore,' he told Sunrise.
'I wouldn't call her lucky — in fact, it was rather unlucky.'
The woman, 35, had been swimming with two friends inside the flags when the shark attacked just after 10am.
Verco was out training for a race, paddling back through Coogee, when he heard the first screams.
'Most of the time when someone screams shark, it's not usually a shark,' he said.
'But this was about a three-and-a-half-metre great white. The footage doesn't capture what I felt when I saw it in person.'
He said the animal's size was overwhelming.
'I was at water level and felt like I had to look up at its tail and dorsal fin.'
As he turned toward the commotion, he saw the shark thrashing the woman in the water.
He immediately began signalling to shore to alert lifeguards and clear the beach.
'It was just so powerful. It dragged her under — there was a lot of blood. I couldn't see where she went.'
Moments later, she resurfaced.
'Luckily when she popped up, it had let her go, and I was able to start bringing her towards the shore.'
Despite being terrified, Verco said he knew he was the only one close enough to help.
'If I ran away, she was going to be left out there on her own.'
The woman was in shock, but responsive and able to ask for help as Verco manoeuvred his board toward her. The size of the board made it difficult to turn, so he told her to hold on as best she could.
But as he began towing her in, she lost consciousness.
'I grabbed her arm, kept her right next to me and held her head above the water,' he said.
With one arm wrapped around her and the other paddling, Verco hauled them both back to shore, urging her to keep breathing.
He credits his training at North Bondi Surf Club — but admits nothing could truly prepare him for the reality of a shark attack.
'I was still proud I was able to signal to the beach, signal the lifeguards and get the beach cleared.'
A shark expert told Sunrise that warmer air temperatures are drawing more people to the beach while the water remains cold — conditions preferred by great whites.
The woman remains in hospital in a critical condition.
