A local man has died while swimming after being attacked by a shark at Byron Bay in NSW.
The man, believed to be in his 50s, was bitten on his right leg by a shark around 15-20 metres offshore at the southern end of Main beach.
Witness Michelle Campano, who is holidaying in Byron Bay, told Daily Mail Australia: 'It was so horrible we were swimming and got yelled out of the water. It took them 45 minutes to close the beach. I think the whole town is in shock.'
A NSW Ambulance spokeswoman confirmed a man had been treated for a severe injury to his leg on Clarkes Beach near Main Beach after being pulled out of the water at 11am. A doctor performed CPR on the man but he could not be saved, the spokeswoman said.
The man, who is from Byron Bay, has been formally identified by a family member and police are expected to confirm his name once all family members have been told. His age is yet to be confirmed.
The man's wife was on the shore at the time, Inspector Bobbie Cullen said at the scene.
A witness, who was paddle boarding in the water when the attack happened, pulled the victim to shore.
Lawyer Mark Hickey said the victim appeared to have been swimming at the time and it is thought he was doing the popular swim from The Pass to Byron Bay.
He saw what he thought was a turtle and some seaweed in the water about 20 metres away but then realised it was blood and a two metre shark circling.
'The shark came back to him and had another go. I didn�t know it was a person � but when I realised I ran out and waded to the bank and grabbed him and did CPR but it was too late.
'I brought him back in and worked on him on the beach,' he told the the Daily Telegraph.
Mr Hickey performed CPR for 20-30 minutes on the victim before rescuers arrived.
Police have praised the onlooker who risked his own life to pull the man from the water.
It was an 'extraordinary act of bravery' and 'we can only be thankful for his efforts' they added.
Lifeguards have spotted a shark in the water off the beach, believed to be a Great White.
Insp Cullen said lifeguards were attempting to use a helicopter and jet skis to push the animal out to sea.
She said there was no plan to kill the shark, especially with Great Whites being a protected species
NSW Ambulance paramedic Andrew Chapman said the man was bitten above the knee.
'It was a fatal bite with major blood loss. He probably died in the water because there was no blood loss on the beach,' he told News Corp Australia.
A photgrapher at the scene said that the body was taken away at around 2.30pm and that there were no family members on the beach by the afternoon.
Holidaygoer Christian Campano, 35, told Daily Mail Australia everyone on the beach was shocked.
'(It was) pretty heavy, we're just in shock,� Mr Campano said. �It's all starting to hit home.'
He and his wife, Michelle, had gone for dip in the ocean when they were pulled from the water after the attack.
The couple headed up the beach and saw the victim receiving CPR.
Eventually, he saw police officers place a blanket over the man's head.
'He just looked still,' Mr Campano said.
It had been the first sunny day Byron had seen in some time, he said.
The Sunshine Coast Daily reported the victim was wearing flippers and was swimming.
A NSW police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia: 'A man, believed to be aged in his 40s, was in the water when he was bitten on the right leg by what is believed to be a shark.
'He was seen floating in shallow water, close to the shore line, and dragged onto the beach. An ambulance was called and he was pronounced dead a short time later.
'Inquiries into the identity of the deceased, and what he was doing in the water at the time of the incident, are continuing.
'A report is being prepared for the Coroner.'
Police have closed all Byron Bay beaches - from Tallows in the south to Belongil Beach in the north - to the public for the next 24 hours.
NSW government officers are being brought in to determine the type of shark involved in the attack.
The beach was not patrolled by lifesavers at the time of the incident. They are due to begin their watch of the beach next week.
A spokesman for NSW Ambulance said: 'A rescue helicopter and paramedics were dispatched to the scene.
'A doctor immediately treated the man on the beach but unfortunately despite clinical intervention including CPR the man has been pronounced deceased on the beach as a result of his fatal injuries.'
A worker at Byron Bay Beach Cafe said: 'We can't really see anything from this part of the beach but we heard the helicopter go over. It is a nice day and we have been really busy.'
A spokesman for Westpac Life Saver Rescue for the Northern Region told Daily Mail Australia: 'We were called at 10.50am with reports of a man who had been pulled out the water suffering a cardiac arrest. We were tasked but didn't actually get to the scene because the situation was too dire.'
Shiney Lefai, 50, who runs Wedding Celebrant on Clarkes Beach told Daily Mail Australia: 'I was in the cafe when I heard the helicopter going overhead. I saw the paramedics and the police rushing to the scene but it was too late. It was definitely not a surfer, I think it was someone just swimming.
'It is shocking with the amount of people that have come down for holidays.
'A shark attack is a one in a million kind of thing, it's not something that you think will happen.
'I have heard of sharks being sighted at Julian Rocks before, I have never heard of someone being killed by a shark at Byron before.
'I have lived here for over 10 years and it is the first time I have heard of it. Everyone in the town is shocked and thinking "it could have been me".
'Everyone swims and it is a beautiful summer day, there were more people swimming than usual.'
On April 3, a swimmer named Christine Armstrong, was also killed in the area by a shark.
The 63-year-old was attached at Tarthra beach while swimming with her husband as part of a group of five.
Source: DailyMail , Daily Telegraph ,SunshineCoastDaily
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