The 19-year-old from Port Macquarie was surfing with three friends about 100 metres off shore at Riecks Point, at a break known as The Well, north of Coffs Harbour, when he was severely bitten on the legs by a shark.

His friends saw the attack and pulled him to shore so they could start CPR. But they could not save him.

‘‘His mates struggled with the shark for a short time, then the shark let go and his friends courageously managed to get him to shore,’’  Coffs Harbour police inspector Joanne Reid told reporters at the scene.

Zac’s friends struggled to come to terms with his death on Saturday.

Jim Rutherford, former president of the Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association, where Zac was a member, described the teenager as ‘‘the nicest kid you would ever meet’’.

‘‘He was a really good-hearted kid ...  he was always trying to help people and, over the years, I gave him so many awards for sportsmanship as well as for being a talented bodyboarder,’’ Mr Rutherford said, adding that Zac had been surfing all his life and was dedicated to his beloved sport.

Zac’s second last post on his Facebook page was a call-out to his mates to join him for a surf. Late on Saturday, his friends were commenting on that post, leaving behind messages of tribute and friendship. A Facebook page, In Memory of Zac, had thousands of 'likes'.

‘‘Miss you Zac. You made the world a better place. Your presence lit up the room when you entered. Your smile made a difference, and your words were uplifting,’’ one wrote.

‘‘Love you brother. I know you’re surfing the sickest barrels in Heaven right now,’’ another wrote.

Zac was a committed Christian, who was ‘‘fun loving’’ and well-known in the community, his devastated employer at the Youth for Christ organisation, Daryl Carter, said on Saturday.

Zac was an intern with the group, an evangelical movement that works with schools and homeless youth.

‘‘When he came into the room, he was full of life,’’ Mr Carter, the Port Macquarie regional director, said. ‘‘The other young leaders are devastated and shocked by it. It will have a very big impact,'' he said.

Mr Carter learnt of the attack by social media, then received a phone call, and was providing support to Zac’s friends on Saturday.

Kylee Kay, president of the Port Macquarie Bodyboarding Association, was in shock when she heard the news.

‘‘He was travelling with Kurt,  Shayden and another local boy from Port Macquarie, all good mates and great surfers from Port Macquarie,’’ she said. ‘‘We are all walking around gobsmacked. Zac was a great guy and a confident surfer. He was very focused to get his life together and an inspiration for us all. The whole community is sending our condolences to his family and friends.’’

She said hundreds of surfers had travelled to that area of Coffs Harbour only weeks ago for the national bodyboarding championships.

The teen was considering a career as a news photographer, and had done work experience for the Port Macquarie News, published by Fairfax Media.

Surf Life Saving NSW immediately closed the beaches around Riecks Point, and water police were patrolling the area late on Saturday. Kevin Clancey, from Surf Life Saving’s North Coast branch, said the beaches would remain off limits while police continued investigations, and lifeguards were warning Coffs Harbour hotels not to allow guests to go down to the beaches.

A spokeswoman from the Department of Primary Industries said it initiated a shark incident response plan. She said a shark biologist would travel to the scene and study the attack pattern to identify the species of shark.

‘‘DPI will work with NSW Police to determine what action should be taken to minimise any ongoing risk,’’ she said.

The attack follows a fatal shark attack in Western Australia last weekend but is the first fatal attack in NSW since 2008, when a 16-year-old bodyboarder was killed by a shark at North Wall, near Ballina.

Coffs Harbour Council lifeguard team leader Greg Hackfath told ABC News the reef was a popular spot for bodyboarders but shark attacks are rare in the area.

‘‘I can only recall, in the 35 years I’ve been here, of two shark attacks; both of those were only little,’’ he said. ‘‘It’s very, very unusual. We don’t know details of what type of shark it is yet, but it could be a rogue shark that has just been travelling through the area.’’

Western Australian Premier Colin Barnett last week raised the prospect of a cull of sharks lingering near the south-west coast. He said: ‘‘I don’t know if it’s a cull as such – and maybe that means different things to different people – but I certainly acknowledge that the public is demanding that sharks, where they stay around popular swimming or surfing areas, should be destroyed. I’m in that camp.

smh.com.au with Kirsty Needham