AN 18-year-old bodyboarder has been killed by a shark at Campbell Beach near Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales.

A TEENAGE bodyboarder was killed by a shark at Campbell Beach near Coffs Harbour in northern New South Wales.

Port Macquarie local Zach Young, 19, died from his injuries after being bitten on the leg just before 2pm.

Mr Young, who was surfing with friends about 100m off Riecks Point north of Coffs Harbour, is believed to have suffered a heart attack.

"He suffered a traumatic cardiac arrest as a result of his injuries", a NSW emergency services spokesperson told news.com.au.

"Swimmers tried to revive him and then paramedics arrived."

PICTURES: SHARK ATTACKS IN AUSTRALIA

NSW ambulance officers trekked through about 100m of bush to get to the section of unpatrolled beach off Elouera Street.

News_Image_File: Paramedics and surfers attempted in vain to save Mr Young's life. Picture: Frank Redward.

Mr Young's friends pulled him from the water and performed CPR until ambulance crews arrived.

Police said the young man was sitting upright on his boogie board off secluded Riecks Point when he was bitten on both legs.

"A struggle has taken place and he has managed to break free," Coffs Harbour police inspector Joanne Reid told Sky News.

"It has taken a bit of time to get him to shore and he lost a fair amount of blood on the way."

She commended his friends for going to his aid and bringing him to shore. "It's just a tragic, tragic incident," she said.

Mr Young was believed to have been staying at a resort north of Coffs Harbour.

Surf Life Saving NSW has closed all patrolled beaches in the area for 24 hours.

Riecks Point is located at Sapphire Beach, which is accessed by a steep track. The area is home to a break known as The Well, which is characterised by its short, slab-like left-handers.

The break is popular among bodyboarders, drawing riders from up and down the coast.

News_Image_File: A teenager has died after a shark attack near Coffs Harbour. Picture: Frank Redward.

Greg Hackfath, chief lifeguard for Coffs Harbour City Council, said the council was taking the precautionary measure of closing all beaches within a 10km radius of the attack zone for a 24hr period.

He said shark issues in the area were rare.

"We've had two recorded shark attacks (in the area) ever - that's in 150 years of settlement. So it's highly unusual," Mr Hackfath said.

News_Image_File: Mr Young had been undertaking an internship at the non-profit group, Youth for Christ.

"We see sharks but the common saying is that you don't worry about them because they're well fed," he said. "You might see one every now and then but they'd be chasing a school of fish."

"In 20yrs I could count on one hand how many incidents we've had with sharks."

Patrols were carried out to find the shark but were called off after 4pm due to poor weather conditions.

Police said in a statement further searches may be conducted tomorrow.

SLS spokeswoman Donna Wishart described the attack as "very odd".

"Sharks breed in estuaries and river mouths and this was not near a river outlet. It was an open beach and it was not at dawn or dusk. It was in the middle of the day," she said.

News_Image_File: A teenager has died after a shark attack near Coffs Harbour. Picture: Frank Redward.

Ms Wishart says marine biologists from the Department of Primary Industries will determine the type of shark involved in the attack.

"The DPI experts will be able to identy the shark by the size and type of the injuries," she said.

"It doesn't even have to be a big shark. If you get (bitten) in the wrong place you can bleed to death."

This comes after a fatal shark attack in Western Australia last weekend.

Chris Boyd, 35, was surfing at the popular surf break Umbies off Gracetown in southern WA when a shark, believed to be a great white, bounced off another surfer's board and attacked him on Saturday morning.

His death has sparked debate about safety netting of beaches.

- With Daniel Piotrowski and wire services

News_Module: Campbells Beach

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