An Australian woman who was seriously injured during a shark attack in Sydney earlier this year has spoken publicly for the first time since she came face to face with a four-metre-long great white shark and recalled punching it in the face. Leah Stewart, a 34-year-old mother of one, was dragged underwater by a shark at Coogee Beach on the morning of June 13 when it sunk its teeth into her arms and thigh, causing extreme blood loss and the amputation of her left arm. 2:43 ‘I’ll stay out of the water’: Australian locals avoid water after 4 shark attacks in 2 days Previous Video Next Video Story continues below ad In an interview with 60 Minutes Australia, broadcast on Sunday, he spoke in detail about the moment he realized a shark was circling, saying he began screaming loudly in an attempt to alert others to the animal’s presence. The lifeguards will hear us screaming, any minute a jet ski is going to come out and chase him away,'” he said during the interview, but they didn’t arrive in time and he was soon face to face with the animal. Get daily national news Get daily Canadian news delivered to your inbox so you never miss the day’s top stories. “His face was horrible. I will never forget his face. He was huge and his teeth and his mouth were huge and his eyes, they’re just his little round black eyes,” Stewart recalled, adding that he realized he had to try to fight him. “I have to try to punch him. I have to try to push it away or else it’ll bite my head off,” he said, explaining that he threw a left hook at the shark’s body, which he said was like “Hitting a brick wall.” The shark tore the skin and muscle off his arm, Stewart recalled, and he said he continued hitting it because he had to survive for his daughter. “In my head, I thought… you’re not going to take me away from my daughter.” And I turned around and started punching it over and over again.” The shark inflicted severe damage to Stewart’s thigh and arms before help arrived. Stewart was dragged out of the water by a world rowing champion who witnessed the attack and another bystander who swam to help, 60 Minutes reported. Both men recalled being dragged underwater by the shark and said she was lucid enough to respond to instructions. More on Trends More Videos Stewart also received life-saving care on the beach from Dr. Ian Ferguson, a trauma specialist who was on the scene and applied tourniquets to his wounds. Ferguson also drilled bone marrow in his shoulders to gain vascular access when his veins collapsed, according to the 60 Minutes report, which was hailed as a crucial life-saving measure. Her injuries were so serious that upon arrival at the hospital, she was categorized as “not compatible with life,” the Australian news program added. Stewart spent several weeks in intensive care, where she received treatment for her injuries, which she said have altered her ability to interact with her daughter, August, whom she has been unable to respond to since the attack. “August will raise her hands and want me to pick her up. I’m desperate to do it; I really want to pick her up and I just can’t.” The attack on Stewart came just months after beaches in Sydney and dozens more along Australia’s east coast were closed after four people were attacked by sharks in two days. Over the past 10 years, Australia has seen, on average, 27 shark incidents each year in which people were injured, and fewer than three of them resulted in deaths, according to data from the Australian Shark Incident Database. © 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.