A hero rescuer charged into the water to punch a shark seconds after it attacked a teenager.
Terrifying video has emerged of the aftermath of a boy, 16, being bitten while swimming at Cabarita Beach on the NSW far north coast on Sunday afternoon.
The boy suffered injuries to his right upper arm, wrist and right leg – with rescuers stalked by the creature as they tried to carry him out of the water.
The footage showed the two-metre long shark lurking close to shore as bystanders dragged the teen in.
One brave rescuer was seen racing into the water and punching the shark as other beachgoers fled.
‘Oh my God, that’s the shark,’ a shocked onlooker was filmed screaming in the clip.
A female added: ‘Oh f***. That’s really scary!’
A surfboard was used as a makeshift stretcher to carry the teen to safety.
Terrifying video showed the shark tracking the young victim and his rescuers close to the shore
The boy was airlifted from Cabarita Beach – north of Byron – to Gold Coast University Hospital. Helicopter pictured above
He was taken to a nearby car park, where two off-duty paramedics applied a tourniquet to stem the bleeding.
The teen was airlifted to Gold Coast University Hospital by the Westpac Rescue Helicopter, where he remains in a serious but stable condition.
NSW paramedic Ben Mumford praised the brave bystanders who rushed to the boy’s aid.
‘There was a few brave people in the water that helped him out of the water,’ Mr Mumford said.
‘There was also a couple of off duty paramedics on the scene that assisted him until we arrived.’
A second helicopter was deployed to locate the shark, but the aerial search was unsuccessful.
Cabarita Beach (pictured) will remain closed for the next 24 hours, following the shark attack
The species of shark involved remained remains unknown.
NSW Shark Smart had tagged and released a tiger shark at the same beach three days earlier.
Cabarita Beach remains closed on Monday.
