Shark warning after surfers chased

South Island police have released a warning after a "very large shark" chased two surfers out of the water near Dunedin.

The surfers were in the water at Karitane Beach, 30 kilometres north of Dunedin, when they spotted the shark.

They left the water and reported the incident at the local store.

Constable John Paul Tremain said it was a very large shark and one of the surfers chased out of the water was a veteran surfer in the area.

"So for him to bail out of the water it means that he's frightened enough obviously to get out so it's fairly serious."

At this stage it was unknown what type of shark it was.

"I don't know if it's a white shark or a mako or a tiger - its lurking in the surf and in the inlet."

Mr Tremain said he did not think the shark could be seen from the beach.

"It's not like ... Jaws where it's cruising with its dorsal out. It's in the surf there and the guys have seen it in the surf and it's chased them on their boards."

Local man Allan Anderson, who owns a kayaking business in the area, said shark sightings were common and he often saw up to two a day but they were generally small and harmless.

It was probably just a small blue shark, grey shark or a seven-gill shark, he said.

Mr Anderson said he had been speaking to one of the surfer's friends who said the shark, which had bumped into him, was as big as his board.

Mr Anderson said a seven-gill shark had attacked a young boy there a few years back, leaving him with eight stitches.

"We do get a lot of them in shallows, especially when the water is dirty like this.

Mr Anderson said he did not want the shark scaring people away from the beach and said there was nothing to worry about.

However:"I think I heard the same line in that bloody Jaws movie," he said.

He would be taking his clients to another area, he said.

Mr Tremain said that it was probably not wise for people to be swimming in the area.

The warning follows a spate of shark attacks in Australia, with three last weekend alone.

Hastings man Greg Sims, 49, was swimming near the Tukituki River mouth earlier this month when he was bitten on the back of his leg by what was believed to be a broadnose seven-gill shark.

While in December, fisherman Ken Lindberg spent five days in hospital after being bitten by a shark, believed to be a bronze whaler, while fishing with a friend off Maraetai near Auckland.

- © Fairfax NZ News