SHARK PANIC AT CABARITA: Hero Surfers Haul Bleeding Teen From Jaws of Terrifying Predator

REPORT: A teenage boy was attacked by a shark while swimming at Cabarita Beach near the Queensland border. Bystanders, including nearby surfers, rushed to his aid and dragged him from the water as the shark continued to stalk them.

A dawn session turned nightmare on the NSW-Queensland border when a teenage surfer was mauled meters from shore; quick-thinking beachgoers formed a human shield and dragged him onto the sand for life-saving first aid.

Witnesses say the animal bit the boy’s leg while he paddled for a wave about 70 meters offshore, sending blood into the swell and forcing nearby surfers to charge toward the commotion instead of retreating.

Seconds later, surfers and vacationers worked together, heaving the injured teen onto a longboard and racing the fading sets back to shore.

Phone video shows rescuers applying improvised tourniquets with leg ropes as the shark continued to circle only meters away. Paramedics stabilized the victim on the sand before a rapid ambulance transfer to a local hospital, where he remains in serious but improving condition.

Authorities closed a three-kilometer stretch of coastline while drones and jet-ski crews scoured for the predator. Early assessments suggest the culprit was likely a juvenile great white, a species frequently migrating along the Tweed Coast during winter bait-fish runs.

For More Information

• 9News Australia: Latest condition update and exclusive eyewitness footage
• 9News Australia (Extended vision): Bystanders rush the teen to safety
• 7NEWS Australia: Surfers form human shield to beat back shark

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