Woman bitten by shark while swimming with sea lions

The woman is said to be in a critical condition after a shark struck whilst she was in waist-height water

FILE PHOTO of a Tiger Shark (Getty Images)

A woman has been left fighting for her life after a tiger shark attacked her whilst she swam with sea lions at a popular beach.

The 46-year-old was struck by the two-metre long predator at Jurien Bay Beach north of Perth, Western Australia at 11.50am on Monday when she was participating in a sea lion tour on Sandland Island, reported the Daily Mail.

The tour company rushed her to shore after she suffered from grave injuries to her legs, the paper added.

Once on land, the victim was treated by St John Ambulance paramedics and then rushed to Jurien Bay Health Centre.

In a critical condition, she was then airlifted to Royal Perth Hospital where she underwent surgery.

Kane Krollig, captain of the Turquoise Safaris vessel said he heard a lady screaming when they were watching over the group, but did not see the shark.

He told Perthnow: “I looked, I saw blood and gave the signal for the crew to round everyone up.

“We were 100 per cent there for the lady ... it was just a freak incident ... (but) a very frightening experience for everyone on board.

“The crew were the heroes, I just drove the boat.”

The attack victim was in shock and appeared to be simultaneously laughing and crying as the crew helped her, he told the news outlet.

The crew scrambled to help the woman back onto the boat and applied a tourniquet to her leg, before driving back to the harbour, he added.

A Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development said in a statement: “DPIRD is working with local authorities to coordinate responses,’ the agency said in a statement.

“Take additional caution in the Jurien Bay area.”

Beaches in the area have closed in response to the incident, the Guardian reported.

Local tour operator Peter Lonnon told 7 News: “The town doesn’t like to see this sort of thing happen but we’ll stick together.”