Man bitten by shark while snorkelling on Great Barrier Reef

A man has been attacked by a shark while snorkelling in waters off an island on the southern Great Barrier Reef off the Central Queensland coast.

The man, aged in his 50s, was snorkelling at a shallow reef near Lady Elliot Island when he encountered the shark about 8.30am on Thursday.

He was bitten on his right arm, which inflicted deep lacerations and puncture wounds on his hand.

The man was swimming with two other men. The group swam to shore after the attack seeking help from staff from Lady Elliot Island Eco Resort.

The men were not staying at the resort.

“Staff provided immediate assistance, stabilised the man and helped co-ordinate an emergency response,” the resort said in a statement.

A LifeFlight helicopter flew from Bundaberg to the island with a critical care doctor and paramedic on board.

The man was then flown in a stable condition to Bundaberg Hospital.

The western snorkelling zones on the island were closed by the resort until further notice.

“It is not known what type of shark was involved. Resort staff and marine shark experts are monitoring the closed snorkel zone and all in-house resort guests have been informed,” the resort said.

Lady Elliot Island is 80 kilometres from the Bundaberg coastline, which is about a 4½ hour drive from Brisbane.

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