Leah Stewart, who lost part of her arm after being mauled by a shark at Sydney’s Coogee Beach, has returned to the lifeguards who helped save her life.
The mother was swimming between the flags on 13 June when the attack unfolded. Members of the public pulled her from the water, while lifesavers and emergency responders began treating her before she was flown to hospital.
NSW Police said officers administered first aid after the woman was brought ashore, while Coogee Oval was cleared to allow a CareFlight helicopter to land. Stewart suffered severe injuries to her arms and legs and later underwent emergency surgery, including an amputation.
More than a month after the attack, she shared a photograph on social media showing her meeting two of the lifeguards at Maroubra Surf Life Saving Club.
“Got to meet these absolute legends today,” Stewart wrote.
“Last time we met they were performing CPR and breathing for me, this time we had a big hug and got to hang out at Maroubra Surf Life Saving club.
“Thanks for being literal life savers.”
Brendan Fevola questions shark attack account
The reunion followed Stewart’s first detailed interview about the attack, broadcast on Nine’s 60 Minutes.
She described deciding which arm she was prepared to lose before punching the shark in an attempt to escape. Her account was then questioned by former Australian rules footballer Brendan Fevola during Fox FM’s Fifi, Fev and Nick breakfast programme.
“I was on the couch with my wife going, ‘She’s lying. Too much time to think! You’re not thinking all that are you?’” Fevola said.
He added: “You punched a shark in the face and survived, but you’re not thinking all that … That’s a lot of mayo.”
Co-host Kate Langbroek defended Stewart, arguing that people respond differently in life-threatening situations and that no outsider could know precisely what was going through her mind.
“The only other person I know who’s punched a shark is Mick Fanning. He said at the time he didn’t even have a chance to think about what he was doing, it was like a reflex,” Langbroek said.
Stewart has since said that speaking publicly about the attack has been difficult and that she still feels detached from what happened.
“I think that’s my mind protecting me while I begin processing it,” she wrote in a separate social media post. “I’m very early in that process, but wanted to give a snapshot of where I’m at.
“Truthfully I’m a bit scared to move past this current state of mind.”
