A professional abalone diver who survived a shark attack in 2004 has been seriously injured in a second encounter off Western Australia's south-east coast.

Greg Pickering was attacked on Tuesday while diving in remote waters off Poison Creek beach, 160 kilometres east of the town of Esperance.

Nearby divers managed to pull him onboard his boat and get him to shore to stem the bleeding and raise the alarm.

Mr Pickering, 55, has serious injuries in what is his second experience of a shark attack.

The diver was bitten by a bronze whaler off Cervantes, north of Perth, in 2004.

Greg Pickering lies in hospital after being bitten by a bronze whaler while diving in 2004. ( ABC News )

The manager of fishing company Southern Wild Abalone, Marcus Tromp, says their diver is lucky to be alive after Tuesday's attack.

"Obviously, there has been some substantial injuries with any encounter with a shark," he said.

"He would have been preparing for his daily business and unfortunately this has occurred."

Mr Tromp says it was lucky another diver was in the water to help rescue Mr Pickering.

"Another diver was in the vicinity so they've come to assist the crew with first aid and obviously to bring the diver's vessel ashore and retrieve it onto the trailer," he said.

He said the other diver helped to administer first aid while the ambulance was en route.

An ambulance was sent from the nearby farming town of Condingup, and Mr Pickering was taken to Esperance Hospital before being flown to Perth.

An SES volunteer from the region says the beach, which is in Cape Arid national park, is a popular diving and abalone fishing spot.

The Director General of the Department of Fisheries, Stuart Smith, has issued an order to catch and kill the shark responsible for the attack.

"At the moment, we have hooks and lines in the water and in the event that they catch a shark, we will consider the possibility of destroying it," he said.

Mr Smith has defended making the order, saying the animal poses an imminent threat to holiday makers and it is not practical to close nearby beaches.