A surfer has escaped serious injury after being bitten by a shark on the New South Wales Mid North Coast in the fourth confirmed shark attack on the state’s coastline in the past 48 hours.<\/p>\n
The 39-year-old man was surfing at Point Plomer, near Crescent Head, on Tuesday morning when the shark bit through his board.<\/p>\n
The man has been taken to hospital with minor cuts and grazes to one of his legs.<\/p>\n
Local surfers said they witnessed what they believed to be multiple bull sharks in the water at the time of the attack.<\/p>\n
Shark surveillance drones have been deployed to the area.<\/p>\n
Port Macquarie Hastings ALS Lifeguards said beaches have been closed from Town Beach in Port Macquarie to Crescent Head beach.<\/p>\n
Surfer ‘very fortunate’<\/p>\n
Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive, Steve Pearce, said the surfer was lucky to be alive and was now recovering at Kempsey District Hospital.<\/p>\n
“The area is known to have some shark activity up there,” he told the ABC.<\/p>\n
“[He’s] very fortunate to not have sustained any serious injuries.”<\/p>\n
Mr Pearce said the area where the man was attacked was isolated, not netted and there were no smart drumlines installed.<\/p>\n
“Anytime after a big weather event there’s always going to be a lot of run-off and out flow of creeks into the ocean and river mouths.<\/p>\n
“We really strongly advocate that nobody swim or surf near river mouths because it’s obviously an area where sharks congregate.<\/p>\n
“If it’s dirty water I’d think twice about going in there.”<\/p>\n
Kempsey-Crescent Head Surf Life Saving Club captain Matt Worrall said the surfer was lucky to escape with only minor injuries. \u00a0<\/p>\n
“The surfboard seemed to take most of the impact,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We’ve had reports that he made his own way into shore where he was assisted by locals.<\/p>\n
“No ambulance was called, he was transported under his own steam to hospital.”<\/p>\n
Mr Worrall said the recent spate of shark attacks had mystified local lifeguards.<\/p>\n
“We’ve all got our own theories as to what’s going on,” he said.<\/p>\n
“I personally haven’t seen more sharks this season compared to other seasons.<\/p>\n
“We think it has something to do with the freshwater that’s been pushing the sharks out of the river systems.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Surfer suffers critical injuries<\/p>\n
Just after 6pm on Monday, a 27-year-old man suffered critical injuries after being bitten by a shark at North Steyne Beach in Manly, on Sydney’s northern beaches.<\/p>\n
Police said the man sustained “life-changing injuries” and remains in critical condition following surgery.<\/p>\n
Swimming spots on the northern beaches have been closed to surfers and swimmers for the next 48 hours following a spate of shark attacks.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Earlier on Monday, a young surfer escaped uninjured<\/a> after a shark bit off a chunk of his surfboard at Dee Why Beach in the northern beaches.<\/p>\n