Extraordinary footage has emerged of a brave woman jumping into Sydney Harbour to rescue a tiny dog who fell into the freezing water.
The woman quickly ran off her trousers and boots and jumped into the shark-infested harbour at Woolloomooloo’s Finger Wharf in the city’s east around lunchtime on Monday.
The drama unfolded less than 2 km from the spot where former Navy diver Paul de Gelder lost several limbs in 2009 when he was attacked by a shark.
Colin, who was visiting Sydney from Newcastle, was having lunch with his partner on the popular quayside when he saw the woman dive into the water.
“There were two dogs running around loose and one of them wasn’t paying attention to the edge and fell into the water,” he told Daily Mail Australia.
“My partner saw it first. She saw the cute puppies and she panicked when she saw one of the puppies fall in.”
The owner watched in horror as her dog swam around, probably looking for a way out.
“The dog swam away from its owner and swam towards the Navy ships on the other side, where the Navy diver had his arm and leg bitten off by a shark,” Colin said.
A woman jumped into Sydney Harbour at Woolloomooloo to rescue a small dog that had fallen into the water
The woman quickly swam to where the dog was, rescued the animal and brought it to shore
“The owner panicked at first and went to the stairs, but she started filming or Facetiming. It was weird.”
Before the shocked owner could figure out what to do, a brave woman spotted the terrified pup in the harbor and jumped in.
“There were a few heroes in line but the lady just stripped down and jumped in. She just dove in and was a fantastic swimmer,” Colin said.
‘I come from a swimming family and you could tell she had some swimming training or lifeguard training by the way she held the dog and swam back with it.
“She was out quickly and back quickly.”
‘She was an exceptionally good swimmer and on the way to the dog she kept her eyes peeled for sharks.’
Witnesses rushed to a nearby restaurant to get tablecloths so the soaked woman and dog could dry off.
The owner (pictured in red on the other side of the water) ran to her dog after the woman handed him over to dry off by witnesses
“I think there were a few people standing in line and patting her on the shoulder,” Colin said.
‘It almost felt like a trap, but it clearly wasn’t. Many men came to her after the dog was rescued to see her and help cover her up.
“I went to her to share her vision so she would understand. What she did was amazing, but she was already blown away by the people who were in line.”
The owner was reunited with her dog and thanked the woman for the courageous rescue.