A man has reportedly been bitten by a shark at Broken Head, near Byron Bay.
The incident occurred at about 7:30 am on Monday when the 36-year-old male was surfing and was allegedly mauled on the right thigh.
The local paper, Echonetdaily reports that the victim was taken to nearby Byron Bay Hospital and was released shortly after following treatment for minor lacerations.
Of the incident one witness, New Zealand tourist Belinda Holland told Fairfax: “There was a lot of blood … it was pretty freaky.”
The Echo reports a Surf Life Saving NSW spokesperson said the shark emerged from under the man while he was waiting for a wave and his surfboard took the brunt of the impact.
This is another attack to add to the growing spate of shark encounters with humans in the Byron area.
On September 26 a 17-year-old surfer also sustained serious leg wounds after being mauled at a nearby beach.
Earlier this month the NSW government announced it would be trialling shark nets off its Northern coastline after a recent spike in attacks but Byron Shire mayor Simon Richardson said he would oppose the use of nets because of the threat they posed to the marine eco-system.
“It would be a categorical no from me and I think the wider community,” Mr Richardson told the ABC.
He added: “We’ve had about three deaths in Byron Shire waters in over 100 years. How much of the spirit of this community are we prepared to lose in the name of tourism?”
Beaches in the area have been closed following this morning’s attack.
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