A man was airlifted to Adelaide after being bitten by a shark in waters off Kangaroo Island on Sunday afternoon.

SA Police said emergency services were called to D’Estrees Bay about 2.20pm after receiving reports that a surfer had been bitten by a great white shark.

They said the 29-year-old local man managed to paddle back to shore and sought help from a member of the public, who then drove him toward Kingscote.

Paramedics then met the car and transported the man to the hospital. He was then airlifted to Adelaide for treatment.

His injuries are believed to be non-life threatening.

Kangaroo Island Mayor Michael Pengilly said he was not surprised to hear about the incident, as sharks were known to frequent the area.

“It’s a very popular spot down where these people are surfing down at what’s called the sewer,” he said.

“There’s a lot of surf spots right around the island and of course we’ve got heavy concentrations of sea lions and a lot of sharks live in the waters around, particularly the south coast of Kangaroo Island.

“It’s not surprising. You’re going into their territory, so you have to expect anything, quite frankly.”

Kangaroo Island Mayor Michael Pengilly said the incident happened at a popular surfing spot. Photo: Flickr/Johanna Johnson

He said he’s glad the man’s injuries were not life threatening, and he doesn’t think there’s cause for alarm.

“It’s a long time since we’ve had an incident on Kangaroo Island. They are few and far between. Most of our beaches are pretty safe to swim on,” he said.

“But it’s a very rugged piece of coast and it’s well known that there’s sharks down around and work in that area.”

Police, in conjunction with fisheries and the local council, are in the process of erecting signs to close D’Estrees Bay beach and have asked people to avoid the area.

–ABC