A 13-year-old boy who was bitten by a shark was saved by a friend who leapt into the water to drag him out.
The boy was swimming off Shark Beach at Vaucluse yesterday when he was bitten almost immediately after jumping from a rock ledge.
Police believed the attacker was a bull shark, based on the pattern of injuries to both legs.
Appearing on Nine's Today programme, NSW Police Superintendent Joseph McNulty said the boy's mate showed "incredible bravery" by jumping in after him.
"As soon as he was in the water, he was bitten," McNulty said.
"One of his mates jumped in and helped retrieve him from the water, and that's some heroic actions just in itself. It was incredible bravery by that young man."
McNulty said a police boat arrived on scene, with responding officers offering immediate first aid, including a tourniquet system, and CPR.
"He applied that [tourniquet] to both limbs and stopped the [bleeding], which potentially saved that young boy's life."
The boy was taken to shore and transferred to Sydney Children's Hospital, where he remains in a critical but stable condition.
Paramedics' efforts to stabilise him were described as "miraculous".
Police closed Shark Beach and nearby swimming areas while marine experts worked to confirm the species involved.
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