Oregon surfer survives shark attack

SEASIDE, Ore. – A man was attacked by a shark while surfing off the northern Oregon coast Saturday, authorities said.

The 30-year-old surfer, Brian Anderson, was bitten on the ankle and calf and suffered a laceration, said Joe Dotson, chief of the Seaside Fire Department.

Witnesses said Anderson was able to hit the shark on the nose and scare it away, before being carried to safety by fellow surfers. An ambulance drove the man – who was “conscious, alert and smiling” – to Providence Seaside Hospital, Dotson said.

Nursing supervisor Greg Bench said the surfer’s condition was stable and he would be released Saturday night.

The noontime attack happened at a popular surfing spot near Tillamook Head. Witnesses told Dotson that the shark was a 10-foot great white. He said there were no signs of the shark in the hours after the bite.