Two people who were among the first on the scene of the shark attack at North Steyne Beach yesterday have opened up about the moment the victim was pulled to shore – including the action that potentially saved his life.

A man believed to be aged in his 20s was surfing at the Manly beach when he was bitten at about 6.20pm yesterday.

He was pulled from the water with serious leg injuries by members of the public, who also provided first aid before emergency services arrived.

A man was bitten by a shark at North Steyne Beach in Manly yesterday. (Nine)

One of those men, Dayan Neave, used his board’s leg rope as an emergency tourniquet after the man passed out.

“Growing up at the beach and hearing other stories of other surfers that have been in similar situations, it was just the first thing that popped into my mind, just to grab a leg rope just in case you needed it,” Neave told Today.

Neave said the surfer had “fought the whole way in” as he was assisted to shore by two others in the water.

Dayan Neave and his friend Max White were early on the scene at the North Steyne beach attack. (Today)

“He was paddling with the other two that were assisting him like absolute champions,” Neave said.

“I mean, they would have been scared that the shark was going to attack again, and they helped him the whole way in.”

With the surf getting rough near the beach, Neave said, the bite victim managed to get on his board and catch a wave in, where he was helped out of the water before he passed out.

The man remains in a critical condition. (Courtney Robinson)

Neave, a surfer himself, said it would probably be a while before he took to the waves again.

“I know at the moment there’s just been more sharks up and down the eastern coast of Australia than anyone’s ever seen … it’s actually radical,” he said.

“So I don’t really want to go out for a while.”

A bull shark is believed to have carried out at least one of the recent attacks. (Getty)

Surf Life Saving NSW chief executive Steve Pearce said the victim had been saved by “extraordinarily good luck” and praised the efforts of bystanders and lifesavers.

“We actually had a group of surf lifesavers in the surf club at the very moment, doing CPR training of all things, so they were able to immediately respond out of the surf club, get onto the beach, apply tourniquets, commence CPR,” he told Today.

“We had two off-duty doctors also walking nearby. They joined in with the CPR and I think if not for that immediate effort, these life-saving efforts definitely made a major difference with this man’s survivability.”

Multiple Sydney beaches have been closed. (Courtney Robinson)

The man remains in a critical condition.

It was the third shark attack at a Sydney beach in just over 24 hours, which collectively have prompted the closing of 20 beaches.

An 11-year-old boy’s surfboard was bitten by a suspected bull shark yesterday morning, while a 12-year-old boy was mauled at Shark Beach in Vaucluse.

Pearce said the 12-year-old victim was a junior lifesaver from one of SLS NSW’s surf clubs.

“If not for the actions of the police and the ambulance, well, things could have been totally different and they just did such a tremendous job to save one of our people.,” he said.

Swimmers at still-open beaches have been advised to stay away and avoid murky and low-visibility water.

The NSW Department of Primary Industries say bull sharks are known to frequent Sydney Harbour, especially during the year’s warmer months, and can be found in shallow waterways.
Murky water churned up by rain and storms could also contribute to perfect attack environments.