A shark bitten by a shark during the last Australian attack

SYDNEY: A shark bit a surfer 's leg on a beach on the west coast of Australia on Sunday, authorities said, the latest in a series of recent attacks that killed another man.

The 20 – year – old surfer was aboard his painting at Pyramids Beach, south of Perth, Western Australia, on Sunday morning, when the attack occurred, said the police chief. AFP a fisheries officer.

A witness told the WA information site Today, the man was with another surfer in the water when a large salmon school passed by them and that the Shark alarm is triggered.

"He was attacked on the lower leg, with some meat bites," said Damian Baker, who was watching from the shore.

The young man fired on a rock after being bitten, said the rescuers. He was taken to hospital with injuries that did not put his life in danger.

State officials have confirmed the attack of an "unknown shark species" in a statement.

The beaches in the area were closed and water police patrolled the waters, the state fisheries department said.

The attack is the fifth meeting off the Australian beaches in two months.

A swimmer died last Monday of a shark's aftermath in the Whitsunday Islands, off the state of Queensland. This is the third meeting in the tourist site since September.

On Wednesday, a surfer fought a shark with his board after being bitten in the leg at Shelly Beach – another popular tourist site – in the state of New South Wales.

Experts say the attacks are increasing as water sports become more popular and fish eaten by sharks get closer to the coast. Deaths, however, remain rare.