Surfer rushed to hospital after shark attack on Australia beach leaves board ripped to shreds

Surfer rushed to hospital after shark attack on Australia beach leaves board ripped to shreds The man in his 50s was attacked while surfing in a holiday hotspot with local police and other officials being seen removing a surf board from the scene of the incident A man has been rushed to hospital following a shark attack at a holiday hotspot that left him in a serious condition and his surfboard ripped in two. The man, said to be in his 50s, was identified as Mel Ismail and was taken as a priority following the attack at Glenfield Beach, near Geraldton, in Western Australia. He had been surfing at the beach when he was attacked by the shark at about 9:45am local time. A Western Australia Country Health Service spokesperson said he was in a serious but stable condition. Police and fisheries staff were seen removing a badly damaged surfboard from the scene and it is being sent for testing to determine what type of shark was involved in the attack. The beach has since been closed and people have been told to avoid the area, reports ABC News. Geraldton MP and Shadow Fisheries Minister Kirrilee Warr said she has requested further details about the attack from officials. She added: "I do understand the victim is a well-known surfer amongst the community. We're really close-knit and when something like this happens, it does ripple. "Those first-responders, they would have been confronted with quite a scene, so I do hope that they are also receiving some support in and after this event." She has also renewed calls for the state government to review its shark mitigation strategy. She continued: "We know millions of dollars is being poured into this mitigation strategy, but it simply is not good enough to stand there and say, 'we have this strategy', but not know if it works." The attack left beachgoers shocked. Cadeyn Catton and his family visit the beach often with the dad telling ABC News: "My kids have grown up there and we spend most weekends on that beach and to this point it felt very safe. "I know over time we've had one or two little incidents but nothing to this calibre." He added the injured man was a regular surfer at the beach. There have been two fatal shark attacks in Western Australia so far this year. A 38-year-old man from Perth was killed while he was spearfishing near Rottnest Island back in May. Daniel Turpin, 35, died in June after he was attacked by a suspected 4.5-metre shark close to Michaelmas Island. There have been four fatal shark attacks in Australia this year, with other incidents being reported in New South Wales and Queensland.