UPDATE 8.26pm: A MAN has been bitten by a shark at inner-Melbourne Elwood Beach.

Paramedics were called to the beach at 4.30pm after a report a man had been attacked.

The man, an experienced scuba diver who was wearing a wetsuit, did not need to go to hospital.

The 50-year-old made his way to shore, still with the shark attached to his leg, before it finally let go after about 20 minutes.

The shark is believed to have been a 1m long Port Jackson shark.

Paramedic Jim Coates said the diver told him that he had spent hundreds of hours diving, but had never experienced anything like this.

''He told us that he was swimming along when he felt something latch onto his leg,'' Mr Coates said.

''He said that when he turned around he saw the shark attached to his leg. He told us that he started to swim for shore and called out for help.

''By the time he made it to shore the shark was still hanging on but after a while he managed to dislodge it and it swam back out into the bay.

''As we assessed him we found that there wasn’t any damage to his wetsuit but he did have a small bruise to his calf.''

The diver didn't need any medical attention and the shark was free to go on his way.

Originally published as Man bitten by shark at Elwood beach