Terrified surfer screams ‘help me’ as Great White shark rips off his arm and mauls him to death in horrifying attack

"I paddled further out to the water and saw a man without an arm, there was lots of blood.

"He was shouting ‘help me’ - people were trying to get him out to the shore.

"I saw paramedics performing CPR on him for about an hour and a half trying to save them."

The onlooker said the attack made him nervous about getting back in the water.

He said in his 22 years surfing at the beach he had never seen one as brutal as that.

"I really feel for the dude’s family — it’s a popular beach. I’ll get back in water but not for a while," he said.

Many people were on the beach celebrating Australia's Father's Day when the shark struck.

It is believed the beast that attacked him was a Great White shark.

Locals described the chaotic scenes, with one telling : "I saw a lady run down. Everyone was yelling (to) get out of the water."

The man lost conscious as he made it back to the sand, and beachgoers attempted to revive him before ambulances arrived.

Paramedics said the victim had suffered "significant injuries" to his arm and back.

There was lots of blood. He was shouting ‘help me’.

Witness

NSW Ambulance Inspector Chris Wilson, who valiantly battled to save the surfer, fought back tears as he announced his death on TV.

"A male in his approximate late 20s sustained significant injuries to his upper body, which has resulted in major bl — I can't even say that," the paramedic stuttered. 

"It was a devastating for everybody on the beach this morning."

Emerald Beach is about 15 minutes north of Coffs Harbour and is popular with surfers.

Shortly after the attack an emergency helicopter lowered a doctor onto the beach as paramedics tried desperately to revive the surfer.

Medics set up a makeshift ICU unit on the sand - but sadly the man could not be saved.

Australia last year saw one of the nation's deadliest on record in terms of shark attacks - with 18 unprovoked bites, six of which were fatal.

It has been speculated more people staying home due to Covid lockdowns may have driven more people to local beaches, potentially leading to more shark attacks.

Rising sea temperatures have also been speculated to have led to more sharks swimming closer to shore in search of food.