Great white shark attacks two people in Australia

Two people were attacked by sharks off Australia's east coast Monday, one of whom apparently fended off a great white shark with her arm, police said.

Photo: Great white shark attacks two people in Australia

A 52-year-old woman, whose identity was not released, was attacked Monday morning as she paddled her kayak near the eastern resort town of Byron Bay, about 600 kilometers (375 miles) north of Sydney.

"The woman was able to fend off the shark, believed to be an 8-9 foot long (2-3 meter long) white pointer," or great white shark, New South Wales state police said in a statement.

The woman sustained deep cuts to her right arm, but was able to swim back to her kayak and paddle to shore. She received medical treatment at the scene and was taken to a local hospital in a stable condition.

Earlier Monday, a 31-year-old man was attacked by a bronze whaler shark while spearfishing near Australia's Great Barrier Reef in northeastern Queensland state.

The man, who was also not identified, was treated onboard his charter boat for a deep cut to his calf muscle before being airlifted by helicopter to a hospital in the northern city of Cairns.