A man was critically injured when he was attacked by a shark while spear fishing on Australia's Great Barrier Reef, an official said.

The 26-year-old was bitten repeatedly on a leg as he dived near Hinchinbrook Island off the coast of Queensland state on Saturday.

Queensland Ambulance Service Supervisor Ange Timmins said his friends brought him by boat to the town of Cardwell where ambulance officers stopped his bleeding and stabilised his condition.

He was flown by helicopter in a critical condition 90 miles north to the Cairns Base Hospital, she said.

His friends thought the man was attacked by a bull or tiger shark, Ms Timmins said.

A 55-year-old man was severely injured a 13ft bull shark while diving near the Great Barrier Reef last month.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.