PICTURED: Teen surfer gives thumbs up from hospital bed after being mauled by Great White off NSW coast
A teenager surfer was left with a bloodied leg after he was mauled by a great white shark at a NSW beach on Monday.
WARNING GRAPHIC IMAGES:
Photos show the graphic aftermath of the shark attack, which left local surfer Cooper Allen with large chunks of flesh missing from his right leg.
The 17-year old is recovering in hospital "in good spirits" after he was mauled by the suspected 3.5m shark while surfing off Lighthouse Beach.
It's believed the teen thought the pain he experienced during the attack was a prank, until he realised he was suffering serious wounds.
Mr Allen was photographed by friends laying on a Lismore Base Hospital bed with his thumbs up, showing off his shark battle scars.
He didn’t require surgery and only needed a few stitches and is expected to be released on Tuesday.
Mr Allen was attacked at about 9am and paddled himself into shore. Where he waved around his arms and was helped by a nurse on the beach.
Bystanders used a rope as a tourniquet, an act which potentially saved his life.
While he waited for paramedics to arrive he calmly told his rescuers: “Call an ambulance … but don’t tell my Mum.”
Local surfer Dan Webber was in the water when the attack happened.
Mr Webber told The Australian Mr Allen remained calm and controlled after the attack and described the incident as similar to what had happened to pro surfer Mick Fanning last year.
“He’s just swimming backwards away from it. I think it (the shark) was tangled up in his leg rope. I saw the dorsal and the tail fin thrashing around,” he said.
Mr Webber said the shark was a "massive f-----g thing" that also left Mr Allen with several "huge" gashes in his right upper thigh about 5cm apart.
Lennox head, Sharps beach, Shelley beach (Ballina) and Lighthouse beach were closed on Monday following the attack.
Beachgoers are urged to stay away from the area until further notice.