A man in his 20s was attacked by a shark at North Steyne this evening. Photo: Jack Kelly

A man was bitten by a shark at North Steyne near Manly Beach just after 6pm this evening, 19 January 2026.  He was revived but remains in a critical condition and has been taken by ambulance under police escort.

Manly Observer has been the told by those on scene that the man, in his 20s, was surfing when he was attacked by a shark causing lacerations down his legs  leading to sustained blood loss. He went into cardiac arrest.

First responders, including off duty North Steyne lifesavers and Council lifeguards, used the defibrillator and provided CPR for an extended period of time. We understand blood was brought in via Toll Ambulance.

The man was revived and was alive at the time of transportation via ambulance to Royal North Shore.

A surfer who helped rescue the victim spoke to Manly Observer.

“A friend and I were in the surf and we were the only ones, and then a guy came in. He had just got out through the breakers, like when you first get to the lineup and sat on his board and we all gave a little smile and a wave. He was right next to us, 10 metres away. And he just got done,” Ash told us.
The surfer was revived but remains in a critical condition and has been taken by ambulance under police escort. Photo: Jack Kelly
“My mate put him on his board and was pushing him into shore and there was blood on the board and I was trying to pull them to help out. The guy was silenced from the pain, but still conscious, and I kept telling him to not look at his leg and we just kept paddling.

“We screamed at people on the beach to get a tourniquet. It was like 6:20pm or 6:30pm and the lifeguards were off duty. Some people came and grabbed him and took him to shore and I went back for my mate who was caught in a rip.

“My mate put him on his board and was pushing him into shore and there was blood on the board and I was trying to pull them to help out. The guy was silenced from the pain, but still conscious, and I kept telling him to not look at his leg and we just kept paddling.”

“When I got back to the beach, I ran up the beach, yelling at people to get the last lifesaver who was packing up and they ran over. And then someone ran over and I think she was a nurse and she knew what she was doing.”
The Toll helicopter landed briefly on Manly Beachfront, before taking off again. Photo: Jack Kelly
Ash described the shark as being a solid size but not a “five metre monster”, adding it was hard to see with the murky water from the recent storms and the blood in the water.

Sharky, a marine enthusiast and founder of Marine Life Rangers, was nearby.

“I was having a casual conversation with one of the senior lifeguards, who I’ve known for over 20 years, and all of a sudden the radio came across saying, possible shark bite at North Steyne. And we looked up and could see people on the water’s edge and we both ran up and they had dragged the person out of the surf and started CPR straight away,” he told Manly Observer.
Sharky, a marine enthusiast and founder of Marine Life Rangers, was nearby. Photo: Jack Kelly
“He was on a surfboard, not that far out. And other surfers saw the splash, and they brought him in.

“Everything escalated from there. We had doctors running down who were off duty, nurses coming in to help. The ambulance arrived, the helicopter came in, and they worked on him for a hell of a long time with a hell of a lot of fluid into him and pumping his chest and using the defibrillator, and fingers crossed that he does make it.

Sharky described the leg injury as being from the knee down.

“About an hour before that I was giving an interview for the Dee Why shark attack earlier today and I predicted there would be more shark attacks. After we’ve had so much rain and stuff, I mean, I’ve even told friends, give it a week, don’t go in the water. There’s dirty water, there’s bait fish. It’s the perfect time that a thing like a bull shark would take advantage of and hit you,” he added.
Emergency services, lifeguards and members of the public alike rushed to help the shark attack victim. Photo: Jack Kelly
Just 15 minutes earlier a local surfer at Freshwater  Zack Baker said he was knocked off his board by a 1.5 metre bull shark.

“I was attacked by a bull shark in Freshwater at around 5:20pm,” the surfer told Manly Observer.

“I got knocked off my board and thankfully came out of it unscathed with no injuries. I alerted the shark alarm and the beach was closed shortly after.”

Manly Observer was able to confirm the shark alarm was sounded at this time.

The 22-year-old said he was confident it was a 1.5 metre bull shark that knocked him off his board.
Northern Beaches beaches remain closed.
A teenager was critically injured in a shark attack just yesterday at Vaucluse.

The community was shocked at the first shark attack in decades for the area last August with the death of surfer Mercury Psillakis at Dee Why.

This week’s shark encounters is unprecedented.

Shark nets were in place today, thought drumlines were not deployed due to swell.

All Northern Beaches beaches are closed until further notice.

Reporting by Jack Kelly, Kim Smee, Harriet Thornton and Avi Vince.