Aussie surfer escapes jumping shark at popular beach

A surfer at a popular Australian beach has escaped a close encounter from a shark after it "jumped" onto his surfboard.

Aussie surfer Dean Norburn was catching waves at a stormy Bondi Beach at 7 a.m. local time (AEDT) on Tuesday when "something rushed by me and jumped onto my board."

"I've looked down. Originally I thought it was a seal but it wasn't. It was a shark," Norburn told local media on Tuesday.

A spokesperson for the beaches' lifeguards told the Australian Associated Press the shark was reported as "small" and only six-feet long.

Lifeguards didn't actually see the toothy fish however the beach was cleared as a precaution, the spokesperson said.

The reported brush with danger comes as the New South Wales (NSW) north coast prepares for the instillation of shark detection and protection technologies as part of the state's 16 million Australian dollar (11.51 million U.S. dollar) strategy to protect swimmers following a spate of recent attacks.

Eco-barrier nets made from thick, rigid nylon that stretch from the seabed to the surface will be deployed along a 70 km stretch of coastline from Evans Head to Byron Bay where at least nine of the state's 14 shark attacks have occurred over the past year.

Other measures include smart drum lines, a shark tagging program and sophisticated radio signal "listening devices" along the notorious stretch that are intended to keep beachgoers informed of the ocean's greatest predator's location via live updates to social media. Endit