A surfer has had a "miracle" escape after a shark attack on the NSW north coast. The force of the bite snapped the man's board in two. The NSW DPI has confirmed a 5-metre great white shark was caught and released from a smart drumline in the area a short time after the incident.

A local shark expert insisted the attack survivor is “very, very lucky” to have survived in one piece, adding, “I’d be buying a lottery ticket if I were him.”