Sydney  - An Australia Navy diver was in serious condition Wednesday after being bitten by a shark within sight of the famous Sydney Harbour Bridge.

The 31-year-old sustained injuries to his right leg and hand in the dawn attack at Garden Island naval base in Woolloomooloo.

"The attack occurred on the surface," Rear Admiral Nigel Coates told local radio. "He fought off the shark. He hit the shark a few times, as I understand it, and then swam a couple of metres to the safety boat, which was obviously nearby."

The last shark attack in Sydney Harbour was eight years ago near Taronga Zoo. The last recorded fatal shark attack in the harbour was in 1963 near Balmoral. (dpa)