Western Australia Shark Attack: Jon Hines Fights Off Shark, Is Rescued By Surfer Jeff Goulden (VIDEO)

Jon Hines, a 34-year-old Australian surfer, survived a "brutal" shark attack at a popular surf spot at Red Bluff near Quobba Station on the coast of Western Australia on Aug. 28.

Witnesses said he fought the shark off with his bare hands, sustaining serious injuries to his right arm and abdomen before being rescued by local surfing legend Jeff "Camel" Goulden.

"[The shark] ripped his arm to pieces, but he just kept fighting... punching it and sticking his hands in its gills... just [giving] that shark a bit of curry," surfing instructor Josh Palmateer told 9 News.

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Goulden, described as a "fearless big wave surfer" by the Courier Mail, came to Hines' aid and brought him safely to shore.

Beachgoers wrapped Hines in towels and drove him for an hour and a half on unpaved roads to an ambulance, which then transfered him to the nearest hospital, an additional 85 miles away in Carnarvon, Sky News reports.

He was later airlifted to another hospital in the state capitol of Perth and is listed in stable condition, according to the BBC.

This is the latest in a string of shark attacks that have occurred off the 12,900-mile coast of Western Australia in the past year. But one official for the Shire of Carnarvon told the Sydney Morning Herald that the incident was the first attack reported locally in recent memory.

At this time, the species of shark involved in the attack has not been identified, although great white sharks have been involved in deadly attacks off the coast of Western Australia this year.

The beach at Red Bluff was closed, and the Australian Broadcasting Company reported that a hunt for the shark is unlikely.

However, Western Australia premier Colin Barnett told the Herald Sun that the state government was considering easing fishing restrictions on sharks and culling large great whites found near popular swimming areas in response to the six attacks in the past year.

Although shark attacks often make news, some activists point out that humans are a greater threat to sharks than sharks are to humans. Shark populations face danger from finning, bycatch and fishing pressure, according to advocacy group Oceana.