Man, 20, undergoes surgery after shark bite at Seventeen Seventy

New information has emerged about a shark attack on a 20-year-old man at a Queensland beach late on Friday that almost ended in amputation.

Town of 1770, Queensland. View south from Bustard Head.

A 20-year-old man bitten on the ankle by a shark while swimming at Seventeen Seventy on Friday afternoon remains in hospital after surgery to save his foot.

Paramedics were called to a beach off Sir Raphael Cilento Drive at the coastal town between Bundaberg and Miriam Vale just after 4pm to reports of a dolphin attack.

Aerial view of the township of 1770. Pic Tourism Queensland.

Queensland Ambulance Service Senior Operations Supervisor Martin Kelly said it was one of the most serious marine bite injuries he’d ever seen.

He said it was initially called in as a dolphin attack, but that it was obvious his severe injuries had been inflicted by a “reasonably sized” shark.

The man was taken to Bundaberg Hospital before he was flown to the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital in a serious condition.

Mr Kelly said it was a dangerous time to be swimming.

“At that time of the day, it’s a time when sharks tend to be in the water close to shore to feed,” he said.

Mr Kelly said the man was now in a stable condition following surgery at the RBWH.

“He had a quite significant ankle injury which almost resulted in an amputation of his foot.”

Mr Kelly said the man was unconscious for a period of time.

“One of the things that occurs, of course is with recent rains that does increase the flushing out of waterways and looks at around those areas. So that tends to attracts sharks,” he said.

It is understood the beach where the attack occurred does not have shark safety measures in place.

The attack is the second in eight days and comes after a 21-year-old man was bitten by a 1.8m shark while swimming in remote Far North Queensland.

The man suffered an injury to his right arm and shoulder during the attack near Clack Island on The Cape York Peninsula.

He was taken to the Cairns Hospital in a stable condition at the time and has since been discharged.