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Young surfer lands in hospital after huge shark bites him on the arm, beaches shut

A drone pilot had reportedly been dispatched to North Avoca to search the area for the shark, according to Central Coast Council. 

NEW SOUTH WALES, AUSTRALIA: Beaches on the NSW Central Coast have been closed after a shark bit a young surfer on the arm. The public beaches at Avoca and North Avoca were both closed when the teenage boy was attacked on Wednesday, August 31, early in the morning.

The boy sustained injuries on his right arm, and paramedics transported him to a hospital in stable condition. A drone pilot had reportedly been dispatched to North Avoca to search the area for the shark, according to Central Coast Council. 

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Central Coast Council immediately took to Twitter and wrote, "Avoca and North Avoca beaches are currently closed following a shark bite incident at approx. 10.30am today. Our thoughts are with the young surfer involved. Please avoid both beaches at this time until the incident can be investigated further."

According to an NSW spokesperson, paramedics were called in to look into a shark bite at North Avoca beach on Wednesday morning. The teen called after suffering puncture wounds to his hand and went home before being taken to the hospital by paramedics, The Guardian reported.

NSW Ambulance tweeted, "SHARK BITE: Early this morning we responded to a shark bite at North Avoca and treated a teenage boy for injuries to his hand. He was taken to Gosford Hospital."

"NSW DPI shark biologists have assessed photographs of the teenager’s injuries and surfboard and have determined the bite indentations are indicative of a white shark," the NSW Department of Primary Industries (DPI) spokesperson said. "As per standard procedure, DPI Smart drumlines were set up at Avoca and North Avoca shortly after 7 am on Wednesday, but no sharks had been captured," the spokesperson added. 

Along the central coast of New South Wales, the NSW DPI runs a number of shark mitigation programs, including shark listening stations, tagging, nets, drones, and drum lines. The DPI states that four baited drumlines, placed 500m off Avoca Beach, are there to catch sharks that approach the shore too closely. White, bull, or tiger sharks, the target species, are tagged before being released a kilometer out to sea, news.com.au reported.