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NSW man bitten by shark in serious condition, flown to hospital

NSW man bitten by shark in serious condition, flown to hospital

A man has been bitten by a shark while surfing near Forster on the NSW mid-north coast and is in a serious condition.

Ambulances were called to Black Head Beach at Hallidays Point around 11.30am on Friday after a man, 65 year-old Dave Quinlivan, suffered injuries to his leg from a shark bite.

The injuries were described as "reasonably severe" and paramedics and a doctor treated him at the beach before airlifting him to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital.

Fairfax media reports the victim is a regular surfer from the local area, but his injuries are not life-threatening.

Mr Quinlivan suffered a bite to the bone of his left ankle and cuts to his lower calf.

Initial reports described the man's injuries as "reasonably superficial" but this was changed when paramedics arrived on the scene to assess to the situation.

A spokesman for NSW Ambulance Service told Yahoo7: "We were called at about 11.40am to reports of a patient suffering a shark bite."

"Due to the inaccessibility of the site we sent in 4WD ambulances and the Westpac helicopter.

Mr Quinlivan was riding on a surf ski when the shark knocked him off. He then paddled on the board to shore where bystanders helped him from the water.

A local and member of the Black Head Surf Club, Mr Quinlivan was the only surfer in the water at the time of the attack.

A member of the surf club said it was the first recorded shark attack in the club's 90 year history.

When asked about the increasing frequency of attacks on Friday afternoon, NSW Premier Mike Baird said: "These attacks are unprecedented, they're extraordinary. They are going to require action."

The premier said it was his "absolute burning priority" to discuss new technologies at an upcoming global summit.

There are unconfirmed reports the shark was white pointer.

The beach will be closed for 24 hours.

There have been two fatal attacks on surfers in NSW waters in the past 11 months.

News break - September 4