Man attacked with speargun on Sydney's northern beaches

A man has narrowly escaped with his life after he was allegedly attacked with a spear gun on Sydney's northern beaches.

The man fled his attacker in a car, despite the spear still sticking out from his chest just centimetres from his heart.

Following an extensive manhunt, a 35-year-old man from Avalon Beach was arrested on Saturday evening and charged with attempted murder and wounding a person with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

He was refused bail at Parramatta Court on Sunday.

The 48-year-old victim was found in his car just before 5pm on Friday on Coonaga Road at Avalon Beach.

"He had a spear protruding from his chest and he was obviously in agony," Detective Chief Inspector Michael Boutouridis said.

The man had been shot at close range outside a North Avalon Road home "several hundred metres away".

Inspector Boutouridis described what happened next as an "incredible escape".

"The attack continued, allegedly, after the spear attack with a knife or something - a sharp weapon," he said.

"The injured man was able to get into his own car and drive away and hold the spear, and stem any bleeding."

The man was flown to Royal North Shore Hospital in a stable condition and has since been released.

"He was taken to North Shore Hospital where it was established that the spear narrowly missed his heart, he's a very lucky man to be alive," Inspector Boutouridis said.

Inspector Boutouridis said on Saturday the two men are known to each other.

"It wasn't a random attack ... this was a meeting that obviously went wrong," he said.

The alleged attacker was arrested after he was found unresponsive by police in a fast food restaurant carpark on Pittwater Road, Brookvale, just before 6.30pm on Saturday.

He will appear at Manly Local Court on August 7.

AAP