The man attacked by a shark on the New South Wales South Coast on Saturday morning says the experience will not stop him surfing, though it might take a while before he ventures back into the water.

Les Wade was surfing at Seven Mile Beach at Gerroa just before 9:00am (AEST) when he felt something push him from behind.

He says he thought it was another surfer but then he turned and spotted a shark.

“I didn’t realise what had happened,” he said. “I paddled back out and said, ‘I think there’s a shark and I think it’s just bit me’.

“The other guys sort of looked at me as if to say ‘OK’.”

Mr Wade was taken to hospital and a wound to his lower leg wound needed 50 stitches.

The life-long surfer says he is amazed that he did not sustain more severe injuries.

“I’m very lucky. I have to go and buy a lotto ticket on Tuesday or Wednesday.”

Beach closed

Surf Life Saving NSW duty officer John Restuccia says signs have been erected on the beach near Crooked River to remind people the area is closed and that they swim there at their own risk.

“[Sunday] morning our local jetboat in that area, at Kiama, [will] just have to patrol the area and make sure everything’s still all right down there,” he said.

The Australian Aerial Patrol says the attack is a timely reminder about the prevalence of sharks, despite the end of summer.

IMBITUBA, Santa Catarina (Saturday, June 27, 2009) – Round 1 of the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro, Event No. 4 of 10 on the 2009 ASP World Tour, was completed today in solid four-to-six foot (2 metre) peaks at Praia Vila in Imbituba.

Utilizing the traditional competition format, the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro saw all surfers don the singlet today, with ASP World Title contenders dominating the proceedings amidst some major upsets.

Mick Fanning (AUS), 28, former ASP World Champion (2007) and current ASP World No. 3, continued to terrorize the world’s best surfers this morning, employing his lightning-fast forehand approach to navigate the thumping beach breaks. Although slow to start, the powerful natural-footer picked up momentum throughout the heat, netting the day’s highest heat total of a 16.43 out of a possible 20, including a 9.50 for a blistering assault on a roping righthander.

“I couldn’t find a rhythm towards the start and Aritz (Aranburu) came out with a 5, I came out with a 6, Aritz got a 7 and we went back and forth,” Fanning said. “Towards the end, I was able to find a wave that stood up across the bank and it allowed me to really open up. I got one good turn off the top to start and just tried to stay on rail throughout the rest of the wave.”

Despite being absent from last season’s event with an injury, Fanning remains one of the most dangerous surfers in Brazil, with back-to-back wins in 2006 and 2007. Sitting within striking distance of an ASP World Tour ratings jump, the Australian is focused on capitalizing at the Hang Loose Santa Catarina Pro.

The Final Countdown: The tension rises as Finals Eve comes to a close at the 2009 NSSA Nationals

Evan Geiselman dropped a ten. The wave was, so far, the highlight of the event. But that won’t last. By now the field is carved down to the bone, the marrow, the skeleton of the very best in the NSSA. The final day is looming. There is no more room for dodgy judgment calls and waves not ended in any sort of combination of blow-tail, air reverse or power gouge. Or shouting matches and fist fights over questionable back paddling. There’s too much focus now.

You may be thinking this all drips of over-hype. But, we’re the media; over-hyping is our gig. It’s all kind of true, though. Paddle-battles and handfuls of triangles are no novel thing at Nationals, just as parents loosing it and heightened rivalries aren’t either. But something is different about all that stuff this year. On Finals Eve at Lowers, the beach is usually buzzing with the expected ensemble of wetsuited children and their slightly manic coaches, mentors and parents. All the sponsoring companies have their own version of diversion beneath their tents: Guitar Hero, foosball, poker and whatever else keeps kids occupied during the biggest contest of the NSSA season. This year, that stuff is kind of there, but it’s kind of not. “It’s the economy,” someone told me. I wanted to punch them in the face. I would’ve rather heard it was because half of Hollywood died this week.