Bendigo Bank Aerial Patrol chief Harry Mitchell said it was not unreasonable to suggest Mr Wade's attacker and the hooked fish were one and the same.

"But the surfer can still consider himself very lucky. I think it was after fish. I don't think the shark was interested in him," he said.

Captain Ross O'Brien from MV Signa said he hooked the 60kg shark on Saturday morning.

"We hooked it about halfway between Kiama and Berry in 60m of water.

"We got him up to the boat and he took off, then we got him up again and he broke the line."

Mr O'Brien said large schools of salmon had been swimming close to the Illawarra shore line.

"The shark would have been in there having munchies, party time,'' he said.

"If it was the shark that bit him, tell him I'd like my hook and sinker back.''

Mr Mitchell said a number of sharks had been spotted swimming close to shore in the past few weeks, some measuring up to 5m.

Despite the activity, it was no different to previous years and was occurring in line with the annual whale migration, particularly in the case of great white sharks that swam further out to sea.

In addition to salmon, schools of snapper were also being reported, together with seals.

"It's creating the perfect marine food chain,'' Mr Mitchell said.