Max Marsden shark attack near Geraldton a 'surreal' fight or flight moment for prominent West Australian surfer

Danny Williams, pictured, has been surfing with shark attack victim Max Marsden for more than a decade.  (ABC Midwest and Wheatbelt: Rachael Clifford)

A prominent West Australian surfer's 'rare' encounter with a shark has been described by a friend who witnessed the attack as a true fight or flight moment, as he undergoes surgery in a Perth hospital.

Max Marsden, 30, was bitten by a shark while surfing with his friend Danny Williams at Lucy's Beach, south of Geraldton on Sunday — the first reported shark attack in the Mid West town in more than a decade.