A 31-year-old scuba diver was injured in a shark attack off the coast of Tasmania's Bruny Island, according to police reports.The incident occurred around 9:10 am on Saturday when the man, who was spearfishing with a group, was bitten by a 2-metre broadnose sevengill shark approximately 50 metres offshore.

Although sustaining non-life-threatening injuries to his forearm, the victim was able to return to shore and was airlifted to hospital in stable condition.Authorities have not reported further sightings of the shark in the remote area, which is a one-hour flight from Melbourne.

This incident adds to a series of shark attacks in Australian waters, including a fatal attack in Western Australia last month and a critical injury in Sydney.

Data from the Australian Shark Incident Database indicates a rising trend in shark encounters, with the country averaging nearly 29 incidents annually over the past decade, up from 16 incidents per year in the 2000s.Witnesses described the diver as having speared a fish before being bitten while retrieving it on the spear.

While shark attacks remain statistically rare, the increasing frequency has prompted safety reviews and beach closures along Australia's east coast.