Man attacked by shark at East Ballina, northern NSW

A man has been attacked by a shark at East Ballina on the NSW north coast on Tuesday evening.

The 20-year-old man sustained serious wounds to his left thigh after he was bitten by a shark while surfing off Lighthouse Beach at 6.25pm, police said.

The man made his own way back to shore where he was assisted by beachgoers.

Emergency services were called to the scene and the man was being rushed to Lismore Base Hospital in a serious but stable condition. Emergency services personnel remain on site.

The beach has been closed for a minimum of 24 hours.

Ballina has been rocked by numerous shark attacks this year.

Between February and August there have been 11 shark attacks, along a 20-kilometre stretch of northern NSW with Ballina, smack dab in the middle, is bearing the brunt.

Two people have died, three have been seriously mauled over the seven month period.

In February, a 41-year-old Japanese national, Tadashi Nakahara, died after an attack at Shelly Beach. The shark was believed to be a bull shark.

A “kill order” was authorised for the great white shark that mauled 32-year-old bodyboarder Matt Lee at Lighthouse Beach in July.

Lee suffered significant injuries to his lower legs as a result of the attack.

“Something has got to be done,” Ballina Mayor David Wright said in August.

“People have got to be protected and we’ve got to get on top of this thing quickly so that Ballina does not become a byword for shark attack,” Cr Wright said.
source:smh.com.au