Surfer hospitalised after shark attack at South Steyne

A surfer is lucky to be alive after a close call with a shark just 20m from shore at a popular Sydney beach last night.

• Massive 4.6m Great White shark netted off Maroubra Beach
• Shark attack victim takes himself to hospital

HALF an hour after a surfer was bitten by a shark at one of Sydney’s most iconic tourist destinations, surfers were back in the water making the most of the huge swells courtesy of Sydney’s once-in-a-century storm on Wednesday.

The surfer, aged in his 20s, was bitten on the foot at South Steyne beach in Manly just after 6.30pm.

Police arrived to find that the man had suffered a deep laceration to his foot while surfing at the popular break at dusk.

The shark attack victim was taken to Northern Beaches Hospital. Picture: TNV

The attack happened only 20m from shore and lifesavers acted quickly to get people out of the water.

Beachgoers frantically scrambled to exit the roaring surf while a young woman rung a shark alarm bell.

Paramedics treated the man for the wound to his ankle before he was rushed to the Northern Beaches Hospital.

He remained in a stable condition last night.

Paramedics load the surfer into the ambulance. Picture: Mark Robinson

“They’re yelling at a lone surfer … most of the surfers are back in now,” a witness said.

“This is quite a dramatic occasion.”

The injured surfer put on a brave face and waved to the cameras from the ambulance while paramedics continued to work on his injury.

Incredibly, surfers were back in the water just half an hour after the attack happened.

The attack comes a week after a colossal 4.6m great white shark was netted at Maroubra Beach.

Earlier this month, a father-of-two surfing at Shelly Beach near Ballina was bitten on the leg by a great white shark.