A teenager will be nominated for a bravery award after paddling into bloodied waters off an Australian beach yesterday to rescue a friend who was fatally mauled by a large shark.

Brock Curtis had ventured into the surf with his schoolfriend at a popular beach on the east coast as the 16-year-olds made the most of a teachers' stop-work meeting. As he was leaving the water, he heard Peter Edmonds cry out in distress.

Despite noticing a "big, grey shadow" in the water, the youth rushed towards his stricken friend, about 50 metres off shore. As he paddled frantically, he noticed that the sea was turning red.

“In the water I was in line with him [Peter] and noticed that he was in a bit of trouble,” Brock said. “As I headed towards him it looked like he was catching a wave and was heading back to shore.

“Then I saw him on his back with his head above the water so then he turned so he was face down. I thought he was only joking, so I went over to him and as I flipped him over I saw his leg.”

Brock dragged Peter to shore where he, lifeguards and paramedics tried to resuscitate him. But the youth, who had been bitten twice on the left leg, died on the beach of heavy blood loss.

“He didn't make one noise,” said Brock, who was treated for shock.

He said that they had been friends for five years, since the start of high school and described Peter as the “best guy”.

Peter's father, Neil Edmonds, said it was hard to believe that his son had died from seemingly minor injuries. “We saw the bite on his leg and you wouldn't think that sort of thing would take someone,” he said.

The fatal shark attack, in the waters off Ballina, about 750km (470 miles) north of Sydney, was the first in Australia for two years. Poor weather has prevented a search for the predator, but several beaches on the north coast of the state of New South Wales have been closed indefinitely as a precaution.

Detective Inspector Steve Clark praised Brock for his “exceptional” feat of courage and said that he would be considered for a bravery medal.

“It was an extreme act of bravery to re-enter the water, and he's still gone in to retrieve his friend," he said.

It is not yet known what type of shark was involved in the attack but John West, an expert at Taronga Zoo in Sydney, said that it was likely to have been a bull shark.

The manager of a local resort said that the fearsome breed, which grows up to 3.5 metres in length, had been seen recently in a creek that runs into the sea off Lighthouse Beach, 750km (470 miles) north of Sydney.

Mr West said that recent heavy rain would have flushed nutrients out of a nearby river, attracting schools of fish and, in turn, bringing sharks to the area.

There are about 15 shark attacks a year in Australian waters, but on average just one of those is fatal.

In January, a fisherman survived a bite by a shark he had reeled onto his boat deck. In December, a surfer was attacked by a shark at a beach north of Sydney, but his injuries were not life-threatening.

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