00:00 Lauren O'Neill says she was only taking a quick dip close to shore on Monday evening
00:06 when a bull shark attacked. Surgeons at St Vincent's Hospital worked through the night
00:11 to save her life and as she recovered on a ward, the 29-year-old issued a statement thanking
00:16 them. Her likely full recovery is testament to their extraordinary skills. She described
00:22 the neighbours who came to her rescue as heroic and also thanked her family for their care
00:27 and unflinching support. She would also like to thank the public for their outpouring of
00:32 support and kindness and as she turns to focus in on her recovery, she asks that her privacy
00:39 and that of her families be respected. The attack has sparked warnings about an increase
00:45 in bull shark sightings in the harbour, Hawkesbury and Georges Rivers. We're seeing an increase
00:50 in the number of sharks in those estuaries but not an increase in the amount of attacks.
00:57 But many swimmers at Balmoral today weren't deterred from taking a harbour dip. It's not
01:01 going to stop me from swimming here at Balmoral Beach because they're actually not in here,
01:06 I think they're further up underneath the Spit Bridge. Don't swim in the dark but in
01:10 the day I think it's very unlikely you're going to get a bite. Some admitted to being
01:17 a little spooked. We try not to think about it otherwise we'll never go to the beach again.
01:23 Maybe there's not a lot of sharks here since there's lots of boats and it would scare away
01:27 the sharks. We said maybe if we stay close we won't get scared. No sight of swimmers
01:34 though at Elizabeth Bay.
01:36 [BLANK_AUDIO]
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