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Police said the woman, believed to be in her 20s, died at the scene, while the man, also thought to be in his 20s, was taken to a hospital in Newcastle in a critical condition.

Police said paramedics were called in the early hours of Thursday morning, local time, to Kylies Beach in Crowdy Bay National Park, about 300 km north of Sydney.

Authorities praised a passerby who applied a temporary tourniquet to the man’s leg before paramedics arrived, “potentially saving his life.” The Department of Primary Industries said the shark involved in the incident was likely “a large bull shark.”

The Australian Museum notes that bull sharks, which can be found in both fresh and salt water, are “one of the few species of sharks potentially dangerous to humans.” According to the International Shark Attack File, they are the third deadliest shark species.