10-year-old boy survives 'unheard of' shark attack off Tasmania's north-west coast

A 10-year-old boy from the state's North-West is lucky to be alive after a shark "grabbed" him and dragged him off a fishing boat on Friday afternoon.

The boy's father jumped into the water after his son, at which point the shark swam off.

Abalone diver Ben Allen, from Stanley, spoke to witnesses after they reached the boat ramp.

"All of a sudden the shark leapt clean out of the water, hit the boat and snapped the rod clean off in the rod holder," he told Nine News.

"(The shark) grabbed the boy all in the one swipe and pulled him into the water."

Ambulance Tasmania took the child to the North West Regional Hospital with lacerations to his arm and cuts to his chest and head.

They said the boy was in a stable condition in Launceston General Hospital.

The attack has left the recreational fishing community reeling.

Forth fisherman Kelly Hunt said the incident was "completely unheard of".

"It's out of character for a great white to stick their head out of the water and leap like that," he said.

"It's got the fishing community talking. It's something you might see in Hollywood. They're pretty sure it was a great white, there were three witnesses and the boy."

He said the child had been wearing an old-style foam life jacket.

"The fact he had that jacket probably saved his life in two ways," he said.

"One in that it stopped greater injury, but also because the shark probably got a mouthful of foam and dropped the child out of his mouth.

"That life jacket, the authorities will be really interested in getting that down to the CSIRO where they'll be able to tell from the teeth marks what kind of shark it was and the size."

Mr Hunt said most fishers, swimmers and surfers went out to the ocean with the knowledge they were in shark territory.

"There's not much you can do about it," he said. "I commend the dad, he went in after his son on a reflex."

He said sharks were very common around Tasmania, particularly at this time of year with higher levels of seal activity and mackerel.

"I hope he recovers well," he said.

"I've got to give a shout out to the Hursey family as well. I believe they helped a lot ... It's a good example of commercial fishers and recreational fishers working together."

The incident follows a spate of shark attacks across Australia in the last year, including five fatal attacks.

Just three days ago a 29-year-old filmmaker was bitten by a shark off Fitzroy Island in Far North Queensland.

A 15-year-old boy died after a shark attack on the Mid North Coast of NSW last weekend.

The incident also follows an attack on Tasmania's Justine Barwick in 2018, which left her in a critical condition.

Mrs Barwick was snorkeling in the Whitsundays with her husband and friends when a shark bit her leg.

She was kept in the Intensive Care Unit of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital where she underwent reconstructive surgery for her leg.