A man has been attacked by a shark near Byron Bay.

A man has been bitten on the leg by a shark near Byron Bay, on the New South Wales north coast.

The attack happened at a beach between Suffolk Park and Broken Head, just to the south of Cape Byron.

A witness to the attack, Geoffrey Knapp, said the victim was part of a group of surfers in the area.

There were dolphins around that morning as well, Mr Knapp said.

Emergency services are on the scene and the beach has been closed.

Yesterday, hundreds of people gathered on the north coast to protest the planned installation of shark nets in the area.

Last month, 17-year-old Cooper Allen was bitten on the upper thigh while surfing at Lighthouse Beach at Ballina on the NSW north coast.

Cooper was helped back to shore by a friend he was surfing with and his injuries were not life threatening.

This post originally appeared on ABC News.