Under a clear blue sky on a Monday morning, Coogee beach in Sydney\u2019s east is quiet.<\/p>\n
A few swimmers have ventured into the ocean pools at the northern and southern ends of the beach. Most others sit on the sand, looking towards the water.<\/p>\n
On Saturday morning Coogee resident, teacher and mother Leah Stewart was pulled from between the flags with life-threatening injuries after being attacked by a great white shark<\/a>.<\/p>\n Her family confirmed Stewart had undergone multiple surgeries \u2013 including an arm amputation.<\/p>\n The beachside eastern suburbs community is reeling from trauma and disbelief.<\/p>\n \u2018She did everything right\u2019<\/p>\n Locals and visitors say they are rethinking their use of the beach in the aftermath.<\/p>\n Alex \u201cSpango\u201d, a Clovelly and Coogee local who has surfed the area for more than 35 years, was at the beach on Saturday morning.<\/p>\n Sign up for the Breaking News Australia email<\/a><\/p>\n He recalls the \u201cperfect\u201d conditions at sunrise, pulling out his phone to show us a picturesque photo of the water from his camera roll. Hours later, he was riding a bus to Chinatown when his partner called.<\/p>\n Alex \u2018Spango\u2019 at Sydney\u2019s Coogee beach. Photograph: James Gourley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s like a horror movie,\u201d he says, emerging from the surf at Coogee beach on Monday, after only wading up to his knees.<\/p>\n \u201cThe community is 100% saddened, stunned, surprised and just \u2026 haunted. Whatever the word is, it\u2019s got a sad feeling.<\/p>\n \u201cThe poor lady, she did everything right.\u201d<\/p>\n Spango, 59, says he has only spotted three sharks in his 40 years of surfing the local \u201cBommies\u201d (Bombora reef). He now wears an electromagnetic \u201cshark band\u201d for peace of mind. \u201cPeople say, \u2018Do they work?\u2019 And I say, \u2018Well, I haven\u2019t seen one [a shark] since.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Samuel Mackenzie: \u2018I feel less comfortable being in the ocean.\u2019 Photograph: James Gourley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Samuel Mackenzie, a marine biology student who lives just up the road from Coogee beach, was driving on Saturday when he received a panicked call from a mate.<\/p>\n \u201cMy mate, he\u2019s a bay swimmer too, [he] was there when it [the shark attack] happened \u2026 he works at the Coogee Bay [hotel],\u201d Mackenzie says. \u201cHe thought that it could have been me \u2026 It\u2019s a funny feeling when people call you thinking you\u2019re dead.\u201d<\/p>\n While Mackenzie usually surfs and free-dives out in the open ocean, on Monday he chose to swim in the Ross Jones memorial pool at the south end of the beach. \u201cI feel less comfortable being in the ocean \u2026 I don\u2019t want to scare my parents,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n His marine biology background gives him perspective on managing the risk.<\/p>\n \u201cAt the end of the day, I\u2019m in their home \u2026 it\u2019s going to take some compromises sometimes,\u201d he says. \u201cIt\u2019s hard because measures like shark nets can have negative impacts on nature, I feel like the proper measures are to have more education to protect and save our wildlife.\u201d<\/p>\n Regular swimmers \u2018terrified\u2019Ryan O\u2019Sheehan says he felt \u2018terrified\u2019 when he heard about the attack. Photograph: James Gourley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n Towelling off from a dip at the southern rock pool, Ryan O\u2019Sheehan mentions he doesn\u2019t frequently swim at Coogee and felt \u201cterrified\u201d when he heard about the attack, prompting him to stick to the enclosed concrete pool.<\/p>\n At the northern headland, mother and daughter Violet and Ilona, visiting from Arizona, take a cautious dip in Giles baths. They were unaware of the attack until speaking with reporters.<\/p>\n Violet and Ilona at Giles baths. Photograph: James Gourley\/The Guardian<\/p>\n UK tourists Gen and Pauline sit on Coogee\u2019s famous rainbow stairs, eating lunch after finishing the coastal walk from Bondi. They found out about the shark attack via TikTok.<\/p>\n \u201cWe probably would have gone for a swim if we hadn\u2019t heard,\u201d Pauline says. \u201cWe hope the lady that was swimming is OK.\u201d<\/p>\n Gen and Pauline on the rainbow stairs: \u2018We probably would have gone for a swim if we hadn\u2019t heard.\u2019 Photograph: James Gourley\/The GuardianCall for more drone surveillance<\/p>\n After the shark attack, eastern suburbs beaches officially reopened on Monday<\/a> under heightened vigilance.<\/p>\n Drone flights are usually heavily restricted at Coogee due to its proximity to Sydney airport flight paths.<\/p>\n A Randwick city council spokesperson confirmed that council lifesavers had never previously flown drones there because of strict Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulations.<\/p>\n