SYDNEY - A SURFER was attacked by a shark off a deserted Australian beach on Saturday, prompting calls for patrols during the winter season.

The man suffered a small laceration to his leg and was taken to hospital with shock after being bitten during a morning surf at Seven Mile Beach, south of Sydney, emergency officials said.

'We believe he was in a stable condition and may have been helped to shore by fellow surfers,' an ambulance service spokesman said.

The beach was closed and unpatrolled because it was the winter off-season, but a lifesaving official said the incident had prompted him to request future surveillance, including use of shark-spotting aircraft.

'I've activated our surf lifesaving team duty officer down there (to) see what they can do, and work with police to make sure they maintain some safety in the area,' he told Australian Associated Press.

There was a spate of shark attacks in the harbour city during the southern hemisphere summer earlier this year, including the savaging of a navy diver near the iconic Opera House.

A surfer lost his hand in an attack just 36 hours later at Bondi Beach.

According to records, 194 people have been killed in shark strikes in Australia over the past two centuries, but researchers are quick to point out that more people die from bee stings and lightning strikes. -- AFP