An Auckland man has escaped with minor injuries after a shark attack in Papamoa on Wednesday night.

The 61-year-old, who asked not to be named, went for an evening body-surf at around 8pm at Papamoa beach.

He was only in the water for a matter of minutes, when he dove under a wave and felt something 'snap'” onto his arm.

'It gave me a fright, thankfully didn't latch on, and by the time I came to the surface it was gone,” he said.

'I rubbed the water out of my eyes once I breached the surface and as I did I felt like a big rush of water, I assume from its tail, whip past me.

'I looked down at my arm and saw the little puncture marks. And that's when it sort of hit me ‘OK, I have been bitten' and in my shock I just slowly made my way back to shore.”

The man said he takes blood thinner medication, so after 'about 15 seconds” the surrounding water turned red.

'It probably looked a lot worse than what it was,” he said.

'I got to shore and saw a guy about to head into the water. I stopped him and explained what had happened. We both then ushered the other nine or so people out of the water – a couple of kids too.”

The man did not require stitches and counts himself "extremely lucky" it wasn't a bigger shark. Photo: Supplied.

The man's injuries were minor, and he did not require immediate medical attention.

He stood with a local for some time and looked out into the surf to see if they could spot the shark, but left after a few minutes.

He went back to his motel for the night, and attempted to alert the local surf lifesaving club the next morning. But nobody was at the tower, he said.

'I didn't want to make a big deal of it because I was fine, it was obviously a baby shark of some sort, but after everything that has happened (this summer) I thought I better mention it to someone – particularly ahead of the long weekend crowds arriving.”

The Aucklander went and saw his doctor on Thursday, but was cleared of any infections and did not require stitches.

It follows January's fatal attack, where Kaelah Marlow, 19, died after being bitten in a shark attack Waihī Beach.

It's understood Marlow got into trouble while swimming at the Bowentown end of Waihī Beach. Witnesses said she was dragged out by a rip and could be heard screaming in the surf. The teenager's death coincided with a rise in shark sightings around New Zealand.

Jackson Thomas/Stuff