Navy diver mauled

AN elite navy diver severely wounded in a shark attack in Sydney Harbour was not wearing a shark-repelling device because the navy considered the waters where the attack took place to be a low-risk area.

Able Seaman Paul Degelder was savaged by the shark in Woolloomooloo Bay, between Mrs Macquarie's Chair and the HMAS Kuttabul naval base at Garden Island just before 7am.

The shark, thought to be a bull shark, attacked the right side of his body, partially severing his right hand.

A Defence spokeswoman said Able Seaman Degelder was not wearing a navy issue SharkShield, which repels sharks by emitting electrical waves, because Sydney Harbour's waters were deemed low-risk.

Able Seaman Degelder, who was taking part in an anti-terrorism exercise when the attack happened, fought off the shark, punching it several times before it turned away.

With severe wounds to his thigh and right hand, he swam to a nearby safety boat. After hauling him on board, the crew administered first aid, applied bandages, and called triple-0.

Able Seaman Degelder was taken by ambulance to St Vincent's Hospital in a critical condition. Surgeons worked on him for two hours to stabilise him. He was then moved to intensive care in a serious but stable condition.

The navy would not confirm reports that Able Seaman Degelder had lost his hand. An ambulance spokesman said it was partially severed.

Ambulance officers said that despite the severity of his wounds, Able Seaman Degelder was conscious and in "good humour".

Rear Admiral Nigel Coates, commander of the Australian fleet at Garden Island, said: "I wouldn't be surprised (Able Seaman Degelder is in good spirits). They are very tough buggers. They are trained to deal with this sort of thing."

Able Seaman Degelder was on the surface of the water when the shark struck.

He had been conducting an underwater trial on counter-terrorism technology, as part of international exercise Kondari.

The diving aspects of that operation have been suspended while the navy scours the harbour for the shark.

Local fishermen have described increased numbers of sharks in the harbour in the past few weeks.

Craig McGill, a local fishing operator, said: "We're seeing more tiger sharks in the last two weeks than we've seen in 20 years. It's low-risk in winter, but it's certainly not low-risk when there's 200 sharks off Garden Island."

One expert said the shark was likely to have been a bull shark.

"Bull sharks are known to be aggressive," said John West, a shark expert at Taronga Zoo. They were known to defend their space "when people get too near them, a bit like a dog bites some people".

Dr West said authorities should consider a cull of sharks if populations got further out of hand.

The NSW Department of Environment and Climate Change said efforts to revive the water quality in Sydney Harbour had made it more appealing to sharks.

Over the past 30 years, governments have introduced industrial regulation, toxic chemical bans and stormwater treatment programs. Fishing operations have also been restricted.

"As the harbour gets healthier, so the numbers of fish are likely to improve, and so, too, you may also have sharks attracted to the whole area," a departmental spokesman said.

Mr McGill thought a cull was too drastic. He said more could be done to create a public warning system, to tell people there were sharks about.

The shark attack is the first in Sydney Harbour since 2000. The last fatal shark attack in the harbour was in 1963, when Martha Hathaway was attacked by a bull shark.