A surfer has been attacked by a shark after being knocked off his surf-ski at Black Head Beach at Hallidays Point, north of Forster on the NSW Mid North Coast.

The victim, surfer David Quinlivan, 65, left the water and was treated by paramedics before being flown to Newcastle's John Hunter Hospital.

Mr Quinlivan was knocked off his surf-ski by the shark, before overturning the surf-ski and paddling close to shore using it as a surfboard.

Mr Quinlivan, a member of the Black Head Surf Club, was the only one in the surf at the time. Bystanders helped him from the water.

An ambulance was called to the beach about 11.45am, a Westpac Rescue Helicopter arrived about 12.30pm.

He was transported to John Hunter Hospital.

A spokesman for NSW Ambulance said: "Information from paramedics at the scene suggests the man has a severe injury to [his] lower leg."

Mr Quinlivan was treated by a doctor at the beach.

He sustained cuts to his lower calf and a bite down to the bone at his left ankle.

Police said he would undergo emergency surgery.

However, acting Inspector Mathew Hinton said his injuries were not considered to be life-threatening.

Black Head's Warren Thompson told NSW Surf Lifesaving he saw the incident unfold from the sand.

"It would have been around 11.30 or so and I was down there checking out the surf conditions when I saw the paddler fall off the side of his ski," Mr Thompson said.

"Something clearly had knocked him off the ski and he was hanging on to the edge. There were a couple of us on the beach and we all just sprinted to the water to see what we could do to help.

"He had lost his paddle but was able to climb back onto the ski and caught a wave to the shore. It looked to us like he was having heart attack.

"They did a fantastic job to help him," Mr Thompson said.

Mr Thompson said he was able to help move Mr Quinlivan before doctors and nurses from a nearby medical centre arrived.

"When we reached him he told us to stay out of the water."

"He was conscious and talking to us but looked in a fair amount of pain."

Inspector Hinton said Mr Quinlivan thought the shark was a "white pointer", but this had not been verified.

Black Head Surf Club official Terry Aldridge told the Manning River Times that this was the first recorded shark attack at Black Head Beach in the surf club's 90 year history.

Asked about the attack on Friday afternoon, NSW Premier Mike Baird said: "These attacks are unprecedented, they're extraordinary. They are going to require action."

The Premier said an upcoming global summit to discuss new technologies was his "absolute burning priority".

Mr Baird also reiterated his dislike of shark nets due to their impact on marine life, but said until other methods were proven to work he had to remain open to them

"Notwithstanding how difficult I find that personally, it's something that we have to be open to because we have to keep this community safe," he said.

The beach will be closed for 24 hours.

Late last month, the carcass of a dolphin washed to shore on a beach at Hallidays Point after it was apparently attacked by a shark.

A recent spate of shark sightings further up the coast, near Ballina, have sparked debate about shark-control measures.

A $250,000 tagging program was announced last month to reduce shark attacks and it follows a number of shark sightings on the state's north, between Ballina and Byron Bay.

The program will involve catching great white sharks in the area and installing satellite tags on them and then monitoring their movements.

The satellite tags track the animals' path underwater, then sends the data to a satellite when they surface.

Two surfers have died and two have been severely injured in attacks in northern NSW waters in the past 11 months.

*/ ]]>

Manning River Times, Newcastle Herald

- with Kate Aubusson