Surfer in Australia drives himself to hospital after being bitten twice by shark

A bronze whaler shark reportedly attacked the surfer. Photo / File

A surfer who was bitten twice on the leg in a shark attack in South Australia drove himself to hospital after the incident.

The man was surfing at a popular break known as The Sewer at D’Estrees Bay, Kangaroo Island, yesterday afternoon when the attack took place, 9News reported.

The surfer will undergo emergency surgery, according to News.com.au.

A member of the public reported that a large bronze whaler was responsible for the attack, according to the community shark monitoring site, Shark Watch SA.

The predator was chasing a seal around the bay when the seal used the surfer as a decoy, and the shark bit the victim twice, it said.

The surfer, in his 50s, suffered non-life-threatening injuries, 9News reported.

A 29-year-old surfer survived an attack at the same beach in 2020, suffering leg injuries from a great white shark.

Bronze whaler sharks can get as large as 3m long, but usually average 1.5-2.5m in length according to NIWA.

They are one of the most abundant large shark species in New Zealand coastal waters.