Dale Carr, 38, was mauled by a shark at Lighthouse Beach, on the NSW Mid North coast, just after 5pm on Saturday evening.

His condition improved significantly on Saturday night and friends of the the local engineer and rugby league fanatic believe his love of sport and fitness may have helped him survive the encounter.

Ryan Rosenbaum, the director of life saving in Port Macquarie, was on patrol on Saturday afternoon when Mr Carr was attacked about 20 metres from shore.

Mr Carr was out bodyboarding with a friend about 400 metres from the club house when a shark attacked him, leaving him with "life-threatening injuries" to the back of his thigh and leg.

The second bodyboarder swam Mr Carr to shore and dragged him out of the water with the help of an onlooker, Mr Rosenbaum said.

A third witness tied his own shirt around the victim's leg to help stop the bleeding while they waited for paramedics.

"You could compare it to what happened with Mick Fanning," said Mr Rosenbaum, who witnessed another shark attack in 2012 at Indian Head.

"He went and helped his mate, he didn't just paddle back to shore. It's so brave."

Mr Carr, a father of two, played rugby league with a local team and was a regular bodyboarder.

A friend, who didn't want to be named, said his fitness may have helped him to survive.

"Lucky he remains strong and fit," he said.

Mr Carr was initially taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries and was going to be flown to Sydney. However, doctors were able to treat him at Port Macquarie Hospital and he was in a stable condition on Sunday morning.

He suffered a "severe laceration" to his left buttock and thigh, a Westpac Rescue Helicopter spokesman said.

A family member told Fairfax Media that he was in surgery on Sunday and "everything is going to be OK".

"We are incredibly relieved," she said.

Mr Carr is a former rugby league player for the Port Macquarie Sharks, and the club put out a statement on its Facebook page sending "healing and loving thoughts" to his family.

"We are here for any support we can give you, you mean a lot to your buddies Dale," the club wrote.

Former teammate Joey Cudmore described Mr Carr as a "solid gold bloke" and "family man".

He said that Mr Carr, who played in the front row, was physically fit.

"If anyone can survive a shark attack it's Dale, he's very strong," he said.

A Port Macquarie local who had "been around forever", Mr Carr was "tough as nails".

"He's got a very strong character, he'll pull through," he said.

A Department of Primary Industries spokeswoman said the department had sent a staff member to Port Macquarie to identify to species of shark "from the bite pattern and forensic information" as part of its Shark Incident Response Plan.\

"DPI is working with NSW police and [NSW Surf Life Saving] to monitor the area and provide any technical advice and resources as required in line with its North Coast Shark Campaign," the spokeswoman said.

All beaches in Port Macquarie remain closed until further notice.