A surfer has escaped a shark attack on a beach in Manly with a deep cut to his foot.

The man, aged in his late 20s, was attacked about 6.30pm (AEST) at popular South Steyne beach in Manly. When paramedics arrived they found him with the foot wound and rushed him to Northern Beaches Hospital and is understood to be in a stable condition and recovering.

The shark struck only 20m from the beach and lifesavers scrambled to get swimmers out of the water.

The shark alarm sounded while people left the beach. The latest shark attack comes just days after a four-metre great white was seen at Maroubra Beach in Sydney’s east.

That sighting followed a 4.65m great white being caught in nets off Maroubra.

A recent spate of shark attacks across Australia has reignited debate about how best to respond to the risks they pose.

Melbourne doctor Daniel Christidis was fatally savaged by a shark in the Whitsundays in Queensland on November 5, sustaining life-threatening injuries to his legs and arm.

It was the third attack in Cid Harbour in six weeks and followed maulings of Hannah Papps, 12, and Justine Barwick, 46 in the same location.

New analysis compiled by consumer comparison website finder.com.au found Australia has recorded the highest number of shark fatalities in the world over the past 30 years.

“We looked at shark attacks and fatalities over a three-decade period and found there have been 47 deaths in Australia from 501 attacks,” finder.com.au insurance expert Bessie Hassan said.

In that time, New South Wales recorded the most attacks with 146, followed by Queensland with 86 and Western Australia with 81.

The deadliest beach in the country over the past 30 years has been Lennox Head in northern NSW, where five people have died as a result of shark attacks.

“The beaches around Byron Bay are the most prone to shark attacks, with 27 attacks in the past 30 years — three of which have been fatal,” Ms Hassan said. “Nationally, the fatality rate over the past 30 years is 9 per cent.”

- with The Daily Telegraph and Shannon Molloy