Karlie Brady

Journalist

A 29-year-old woman is in a stable condition in Cairns Hospital after sustaining significant lower leg injuries from a suspected Shark attack off Fitzroy Island near Cairns this afternoon.

The woman was swimming approximately 100 meters out from the jetty on Fitzroy Island when the incident occurred just after 12:00pm.

Flight critical care paramedic, Terry Cumming, said she was taken to shore where doctors on the island provided initial first aid before a rescue helicopter arrived.

“As you would expect from a shark bite to the lower leg there was a bit of blood loss, but the first responders on scene happened to be doctors so they applied a tourniquet to limit any bleeding,” he said.

“She ended up with a possible fracture to her left ankle and some lacerations from the shark bite.

“She’s fine.

“We were preparing for the worst but obviously when we got there the injuries weren’t as severe as we were first told, but enough to cause her distress,” he said.

He added she had only seen the shark for a few seconds so was unable to identify it.

Mr Cumming said the woman had been creating a shark documentary and was relaxing on her day off when she was bitten.

Upon arriving in Cairns, the woman reportedly shouted that she “still loves sharks” and “sharks are beautiful” as she was rolled into hospital.