A man in his 60s has been airlifted to hospital after being mauled “to the bone” by a great white shark on the NSW mid north coast.

David Quinlivan, 65, was bitten on his left ankle while on his surf-ski at Black Head Beach, north of Forster, just before midday on Friday.

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He managed to paddle to shore where he was able to get help.

Quinlivan was treated on the beach by paramedics for a lower-leg bite, described as “to the bone” by a Westpac helicopter spokesman, before being airlifted to Newcastle’s John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition.

Mr Quinlivan claimed the shark was a great white, the spokesman said.

Asked on Friday afternoon whether the latest attack had influenced his position on the use of shark nets, Premier Mike Baird said his government had already announced plans to tackle shark attacks on the state’s north coast.

“These attacks are unprecedented, they’re extraordinary, and they are going to require action, so we’ve outlined a framework on how to do that,” he said.

Mr Baird reiterated his personal dislike of nets because of the effect they have on marine life.

But he added: “I have to be open to nets, notwithstanding how difficult I find them personally, it’s something that we have to be open to because we have to keep this community safe.”