Surfer 'punched shark until it let go'

A surfer attacked by a shark has described how he punched it "until it let go".

Paul Kenny was bitten on the arm after "headbutting" the bull shark in the surf off the New South Wales coast.

The 50-year-old was attacked by the shark early on Saturday morning at Samurai beach, near Port Stephens.

He was in a stable condition in hospital.

"I went to move out a bit deeper to get a better wave and just put my head down and headbutted it and then it just grabbed me, and I just started punching it until it let go," Mr Kenny said.

"And then started getting back out of the surf as quick as I could holding my arm because there was blood everywhere and hoping it wouldn't come back."

The beach was closed last Tuesday after a whale washed ashore sparking fears of increased shark activity but was reopened on Friday.