Locals have said the survivor of a close encounter with an enormous great white shark is "lucky to be alive" after the monster snapped his surfboard in half.

A surfer had a close encounter with a 5-metre great white shark at Cabarita Beach on the New South Wales north coast Monday morning at 7:30am, when the shark bit through his surfboard, splitting it in two pieces.

A surfer has miraculously survived a shark attack at Australia's popular New South Wales beach. The latest shark attack comes just weeks after a 16-year-old was mauled at the same beach.A video

Shark attacks are rare, but Australia sees more than most countries, with an average of 22 shark bites per year between 2010 and 2022.