Surfer who had called himself ‘shark bait' bitten by shark

A surfer who had previously referred to himself as shark bait was bitten by a shark Sunday on the coast of New South Wales.

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Joel Mason, 36, suffered about five cuts to his lower legs from the shark around 7 a.m. near Nambucca Heads, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Mason swam to a nearby breakwall, where an off-duty lifeguard saw him and called emergency responders, 9news reports.

He was treated at the scene, then flown to a hospital, where he is in stable condition, the Morning Herald reports.

Mason, who is a father of three, has been surfing nearly 30 years, his father, Rob Mason, told the Morning Herald.

"He loves to surf early and he loves to surf by himself, which is sort of a bit risky," Rob Mason told the Morning Herald. "He says he's shark bait, but he's prepared to take the risk, and he does."

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