A woman suffered serious leg injuries after being attacked Monday by a suspected bull shark in Sydney Harbor, local authorities said. The victim, a woman reported to be in her late 20s, was bitten on the right leg as she swam at Elizabeth Bay in Sydney’s east at about 8 pm on Monday. A witness said a local bystander helped the woman, who had dragged herself to safety onto a nearby wharf, by applying tourniquets to stem the bleeding until paramedics arrived.

New South Wales state police said in a statement that the woman had been taken to hospital and was “in a stable condition.” It added that its marine command was patrolling the area as a precaution. Shark attacks in Sydney Harbor are rare but the area is known to be an important habitat for bull sharks and their young.