Sydney’s famous Manly beach has been closed after a man was injured in a suspected shark attack during an early-morning swim.
The local – believed to be in his mid-50s – was swimming with friends at the adjoining Shelly Beach about 6am on Tuesday when he thought he was bitten. He managed to swim to nearby rocks and raise the alarm.
He was treated by paramedics for a puncture wound to his back and injuries to his leg and stomach before being taken to hospital.
New South Wales police say no shark has been sighted and Surf Life Saving NSW has deployed a drone to search and monitor the area, a spokesman said.
Manly beach and Shelly beach have also been temporarily closed, he said.
Denny Lucas, who was also swimming, said two of his friends heard someone calling out and saw the man on the footpath.
“There were runners yelling to us to get out because he had been bitten by a shark,” he told Seven’s Sunrise.
“We swam across and climbed out and stayed with him to help. There were people there helping him. He had a gash on his stomach.”
