A Man Was Attacked By A Shark And Fought It Off With His Surfboard

    The 43-year-old is currently being treated at Lismore Base Hospital.

    A 43-year-old man surfing on the NSW north coast has been attacked by a shark, leading to all beaches in Ballina Shire being closed for 24 hours.

    The man was in the surf at Shelly Beach near Ballina and was attacked around 6:45am today. He was left with a 20cm gash in his calf after fighting the shark off with his surfboard and paddling to shore.

    Able to take himself to Ballina hospital, the man was then transfered to Lismore Base Hospital for treatment.

    Jimmy Keogh, the surf lifesaving duty officer in the area, told the ABC all beaches in the region were going to be closed at the request of police. This covers all beaches from South Ballina to Lennox Head.

    Ballina mayor David Wright was at Shelly Beach to address the media this morning and said the shark was about 1.5 metres long.

    “This is just one of those things, we urge people to take care,” said Wright, who admitted that he did not know if shark drumlines were currently in the water near the beach.

    This morning’s shark attack is the second in 48 hours in Australia. On Tuesday, a 33-year-old Victorian man died after he was attacked while swimming in Cid Harbour in the Whitsundays, Queensland.