WATCH: Juvenile great white shark washes up at Manly Beach

Beachgoers have been left shocked after a great white shark washed up at Manly Beach next to the safe swimming flags.

Witnesses filmed the 1.8m juvenile thrashing around at the southern end of the popular Sydney beach on Monday afternoon.

Swimmers ran from the water as the shark alarm sounded and Manly Sea Life Sanctuary workers were called in to move the great white to Fairy Bower Pool.

Hundreds of people crowded the ocean pool, which has become its temporary hospital.

Manly Sea Life confirmed to 7 News it was a juvenile great white after earlier reports sugested it was a mako.

Rescuers from the organisation first lifted the shark into a car, then transferred it in a sling to nearby Fairy Bower.

"It looked in a really bad way... it didn't have the strength to deal with the waves," one rescuer said.

The shark was seen banging into the walls of the pool.

An underwater GoPro camera used by 7 News showed the shark's razor-sharp teeth.

A protected species, the shark will be assessed.

"We'll probably stay here and assess its condition back in the wild," a rescuer said.

Rob Daly told 7 News Online that he was just nipping out for coffee when he spotted the shark, initially thinking it was a stingray.

"One guy was trying to pull it out, but most people stood there taking photos," Mr Daly said.

The witness said the shark had been struggling near the flags before getting stuck by the rocks.

It is believed lifeguards got on jetskis to try and move it out to deeper water but it kept swimming back to shore.

"I was feeling happy that I saw one .. that was wild.."

Dan Korocz was among the stunned onlookers who saw the predator thrashing in the shallows.

"When you see a real-life shark, it's scary," he said.

"We were down on the beach for lunch with my family.

"I've got a four-year-old and a two-year-old and we went down to the waters' edge and then it came in."

Witnesses described the shark as about 1.5m in size, and said it appeared to have a broken jaw.

Mr Korocz said the shark kept beaching itself on the sand, and that's where staff from the Manly Sea Life Sanctuary stepped in.

'It was a fair size'

A spokesman for the sanctuary urged people to resist the temptation to help animals in distress, and instead call in the professionals.

"We usually get callouts for turtles and any sort of marine life around the area, so we take them in if needed, rehabilitate them and release them," they said.

"It's best to call someone who knows what they're doing. You don't know if its injured and if it is you might make it worse."

"Everyone was quite shocked and jumped out quite quickly," Mr Daly said.

The animal remains in the pool with a number of people monitoring it.

The witness said it seems to be a bit disorientated.