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Bloody pics of man's injuries posted online after alleged attack near Byron Bay.
A man has reportedly been bitten by a shark near Byron Bay (file picture)
Andrew Bret Wallis
A man has reportedly been bitten by a shark near Byron Bay (file picture)

Another surfer has been left bitten and bloody after a suspected shark attack on the NSW north coast.

A man, believed to be in his 30s, suffered cuts to his leg after an encounter with an unknown species of shark while surfing at Broken Head, south of Byron Bay, around 7.30am on Monday. Byron Shire council told The Huffington Post Australia that beaches are closed in the council area for at least the next 24 hours.

In a release, Surf Life Saving NSW said the man, suffered minor wounds and was driven to hospital by a friend.

"It is believed that the shark emerged from under the man while he was waiting for a wave. The man's surfboard took the brunt of the impact with the man also suffering minor lacerations to his leg during the incident," SLSNSW said.

Geoffrey John Knapp/Twitter

A Byron Bay surfer shared what he claimed to be a picture of the man's wounds on social media, saying he was "very lucky", showing a chunk taken out of the surfboard and what appears to be bite marks. We've contacted him for more information.

Byron Bay police told that they were unable to provide any information at the time but would be releasing an update later in the morning.

Channel Nine spoke to a young woman who claimed to have been at the beach when the attack happened. She said the surfer's board "went flying into the air".

SharkSmart, the NSW government's shark information service, reported the man had suffered injuries to his thigh and that the Department of Primary Industries was investigating.

The attack comes just a day after hundreds of people rallied at Ballina to protest plans to install shark nets on north coast beaches, with the Byron shire mayor just last week opposing the move. Monday's incident is the latest in a string of shark attacks on the NSW north coast in recent times. A teenage surfer was left with severe bites to his leg after an encounter at Ballina last month, while severalothers have occurred in the last year.

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