There was an unprecedented level of shark activity on the New South Wales north coast in the 24 hours leading up to an attack today on a surfer, a local mayor says.

A surfer fought off a shark during an attack at Evans Head early on Friday morning, with passers-by applying a tourniquet with leg ropes from their surfboards to save the man's life.

Evans Head resident Craig Ison, 52, was surfing with a friend about 100 metres offshore when he was bitten on the legs, arm and hands at Main Beach.

Mr Ison was the third victim of a serious shark attack in the region so far this year.

Ballina Mayor David Wright said sightings of great whites — the type of shark believed responsible for today's attack — were becoming common.

"The shark expert managed to tell us that the number of sharks we have and the sightings — four in one place yesterday, another in another place and two people knocked off boards yesterday — he said that was unprecedented in his knowledge," Cr Wright told the ABC.

"So it shows that we do have a problem."

Geoff Hill was surfing with Mr Ison at the time and helped him after the attack.

"We were just paddling out, we hadn't even got to the stage of trying to catch a wave and he called out to me, 'Go in, there's a shark!'" Mr Hill said.

"Next thing, the shark grabbed him.

"All I saw was a lot of thrashing in the water [and] a rather large tail."

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Detective Inspector Cameron Lindsay said the surfer "actually fought off the shark".

Mr Ison reportedly punched the shark during the attack in an attempt to escape and during the struggle, was bitten on his left arm.

"It was basically like watching the Mick Fanning episode in replay," Mr Hill said.

"The white board went up in the air, the tail was thrashing around.

"He got in a couple of punches - he told us that when we were trying to give him first aid."

Mr Hill said Mr Ison managed to get back on his board and they both paddled in to the beach to administer first aid.

"He was losing a fair bit of blood from his thigh and he had an injury on his hand from where he punched the shark," Mr Hill said."

"[I'm] pretty shaken at the moment, I just wanted to find out how Craig is."

Once the pair made it to shore, passers-by helped with a tourniquet to his leg using surfboard leg ropes before emergency services arrived.

A biologist specialising in sharks said the condition of the surfboard was consistent with an attack by a Great White shark. ( Supplied )

"I helped him out of the water. His first words were, 'get a tourniquet on my leg', so we used a leg rope," Mr Hill said.

Mr Hill said they used his board when they were on shore as a stretcher for Mr Ison.

Detective Inspector Lindsay said the help of the beach walkers and Mr Hill saved Mr Ison's life.

"Those people are to be praised for their quick thinking, particularly those injuries that needed to be stopped [from] the blood loss and looked like they've saved this man's life."

He was transported to the Lismore Base Hospital and had serious injuries but was in a stable condition and has undergone surgery.

A police officer drove the ambulance as paramedics worked on the man on the way to hospital.

A biologist from the Department of Primary Industries specialising in sharks has looked at the photos of the surfboards and said this morning's attack was consistent with that of a Great White shark.

Mr Hill said he has been surfing at Main Beach for two years and had never seen a shark until today.

"This beach was closed a few days ago in the afternoon and the next morning we all did a bit of umming and ahhing," he said.

"[We] made jokes we were only tooth picks because we were only little guys. That was a bad joke."

Shark sightings in recent days

Evans Head resident Craig Ison, 52, was surfing with a friend when he was bitten on the legs, arm and hands. ( ABC News: Bruce Mackenzie )

Further north in the Ballina Shire there has been one fatal shark attack this year, and beaches were closed again this week after more large sharks were spotted in the area.

Evans Head Riverfront Kiosk manager Bart Easdown said there had been shark sightings around Lennox Head and Ballina in recent days.

"[I] just read an update a couple of days ago that there was a couple of four-metre sharks that were spotted around Lennox Point, Boulders Beach and also a five-metre," Mr Easdown said.

Geoff Hill said the pair were paddling out and were yet to catch a wave when Craig Ison spotted the shark. ( ABC News: Ashleigh Stevenson )

"So they closed a couple of beaches up there the other day.

"Everyone's aware they're around, we've got a small beach area here called Sharks Bay so everyone's well aware that it's their playground so to speak, but it still doesn't make it any less confronting when [a shark attack] happens."

Mr Easdown said there had been more shark sightings than usual in recent times.

"I've been up here for a few years now and you might get an odd one here or there, but the last couple of days there does seem to be a bit of an increase," he said.

Local resident Billy Storer, from the Evans Head Malibu Club, has been surfing for 35 years and said it was rare to see Great White Sharks close to shore.

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"The Great Whites tend to follow the whales up and down in their migration, and Evans Head being in a really big bay if you like - Ballina being one tip and Iluka being the other tip - Evans Head is about five kilometres inland," Mr Storer said.

"So all these big sharks that swim with the whales miss us at Evans Head here.

"The only locals that I've ever seen have been bull sharks."

There have been two other attacks in the NSW north coast area this month.

One surfer was knocked off his board at Lennox Head just weeks ago, and a body boarder was mauled at Ballina by what was believed to be a Great White shark two days earlier.

In February, 41-year-old Tadashi Nakahara was killed in a shark attack near at Shelly Beach near Ballina.

Main Beach and two other local beaches — Shark Bay and Chinamans Beach — have all been closed for 24 hours in response to the latest attack.

Government to consider 'non-lethal' shark deterrents

Meanwhile, Ballina MP Tamara Smith is calling on the State Government to support a 'non-lethal' solution to the shark problems in the area.

A working party will today consider the merits of aerial surveillance, shark tagging and sonar technology today.

"I'm hoping we can get agreement from the State Government for Ballina to be part of a trial of non-lethal deterrent technologies," Ms Smith said.

"So along with public education about the risks we can also take responsible action."

She said she had not heard from anyone in the community who wanted sharks culled.