Shark takes bite out of US surfer's board

An American surfer has spoken about her miraculous escape from a shark attack that left her board with a massive bite out of it.

Elinor Dempsey, 54, of Los Osos, California, was surfing at Morro Strand on Saturday morning when she came across what she thought was a dolphin.

"I thought, 'this guy is getting pretty aggressive', but then I realised it wasn't a dolphin when he bit the board," she told the San Luis Obispo Tribune.

"I didn't know what was happening behind me but I didn't want to stop swimming.

"I'm not even sure I was thinking anything other than 'oh my god, swim'."

Other surfers nearby helped Ms Demspey to shore, thankfully in one piece.

The same could not be said for her board, however, with the shark, believed to be a Great White, leaving a 35cm x 20cm bite .

Ms Demspey said the encounter won't stop her from returning to the water.

"I didn’t get a wave," she said. 

"That’s the worst part -- I got no waves."