A woman who was attacked by a small shark on Monday in Australia sustained serious injuries to her arm during a snorkeling trip with her partner on the remote northwest coast.
The 60-year-old woman was flown from Exmouth hospital to the Western Australia state capital of Perth, located more than 740 miles away, for emergency surgery on her right arm, Royal Flying Doctor Service spokesperson Joanne Hill told the Independent Record. The woman was mauled by a 39-inch long reef shark at Turquoise Bay - an oft-visited tourist destination just south of the coastal town of Exmouth. According to the Fisheries Department, she was on a snorkeling trip with one other person, when she was bitten about 40 yards from the beach.
"The couple have reported the shark initially showed signs of aggression toward him, then turned and bit the woman on the arm," Shark Response Unite manager Lisa Clack told Independent Record in a statement.
Hill reported that the woman's injuries were quite serious, but weren't life threatening.
"She is in a stable condition, but we'll be flying her to Perth this evening and she'll go to Royal Perth hospital," Hill reported.
Following the attack, officials closed the beach to the public. The area will most likely be sealed off until Tuesdays, while rangers parse out the details of the event and ensure no other sharks will pose a danger to snorkelers.
Rangers are still unsure what species of shark involved in the mauling.
This isn't the first time a diver has landed in the clutches of a shark: in early October, 55-year-old professional diver Greg Pickering was injured by an alleged great white shark, off Western Australia's southern coast, near the town of Esperance.
