Teenage surfer Cooper Allen mauled by shark near Ballina

"Don't tell mum."

Those were the words 17-year-old surfer Cooper Allen managed to utter mere moments after being mauled by a massive shark at a New South Wales beach.

Allen was rushed to hospital shortly after 9am (local time) after he was bitten on the hip off Light House Beach.

The youth made his own way out of the water and was assisted by a nurse and other surfers before he was taken to Lismore Base Hospital.

Witnesses said the large shark left several deep gashes in his leg.

"He said, 'you can call my dad, but don't tell mum yet'," surfer Dan Webber, told The Australian.

"I'm no doctor, but I think he's going to be fine," Webber said.

There were four "huge" gashes in his leg about 5cm apart.

"So the shark was a massive f**king thing," he said.

A 3.5 metre shark was herded out to sea after being spotted in the area.

Aerial surveillance and "smart" buoys picked up at least two other white pointers, including a 2.8 specimen at nearby Lennox Head.

Allen is currently in a stable condition at Lismore Base Hospital.