UPDATE 2PM (Friday, September 4): Shark attack victim Dave Quinlivan is a long term member of Black Head Surf Club who trains at the beach every morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Acting Inspector Mathew Hinton said Mr Quinlivan believes the shark was a white pointer, although this has not been verified.
Redhead resident Matthew Cougle was third on the scene and assisted Mr Quinlivan out of the surf.
Mr Cougle said the victim was bleeding from his lower left leg.
He said Mr Quinlivan managed to paddle his surf ski to shore backwards "like a surfboard".
He said Mr Quinlivan said he had been bitten by a shark.
Earlier a woman who had been walking her dogs on the beach, was the first to Mr Quinlivan's aid and also raised the alarm.
Black Head Surf Club official Terry Aldridge understands this is the first recorded shark attack at Black Head Beach in the surf club's 90 year history.
The beach will remain closed for 24 hours.
UPDATE 1PM (Friday, September 4): A man has been attacked by a shark at Black Head Beach, north of Forster on the NSW Mid North Coast.
The victim is 62 year-old Tallwoods man Dave Quinlivan, a regular surfer.
He was on a surf ski, and was knocked off by the shark.
He then paddled back to shore using the surf ski as a surfboard.
It is understood he was dragged to the beach through the shore break.
He was assisted ashore and a doctor believed to be holidaying in the area was on hand. He sustrained cuts to his lower calf.
His injurie's according to acting inspector Mathew Hinton aren't considered life threatening.
He was transported to John Hunter Hospital by the Wesptac Rescue Helicopter.
The beach will be closed for 24 hours.
He was the only one in the surf at the time.
He is a Black Head Surf Club member.
The male victim has left the water and is being treated at the scene by paramedics.
"Information from paramedics at the scene suggests the man has a severe injury to [his] lower leg," a spokesman for NSW Ambulance said.
A Westpac Rescue Helicopter is believed to have arrived on the scene about 12:30 pm.
An ambulance was called to Black Head Beach about 11:45 am on Friday morning.
Late last month the carcass of a dolphin washed to shore on a beach at Hallidays Point after apparently having been attacked by a shark.
A recent spate of shark sightings farther up the coast, near Ballina have incited 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.
This article originally appeared on The Sydney Morning Herald
