Self-styled Shark Rider mauled after jumping on back of beast who bit back

A man who was bitten by a shark he allegedly provoked was filmed jumping onto a hammerhead for fun.

Aaron Moir was attacked by a three-and-a-half metre long lemon shark while out on a boat off Australia on Tuesday night.

Horrified witnesses told 7News that he jumped off the boat onto the back of the shark, which then brutally attacked him.

The 32-year-old, who calls himself the "shark rider", was rushed by his crew back to Exmouth before being taken to Royal Perth Hospital for back and leg injuries.

The ordeal took 10 hours and saw Mr Moir treated for non-life threatening but serious wounds.

Moir styles himself as the 'shark rider' ( 7 News)

He is now being investigated by the Department of Fisheries, the Australian Maritime Safety Authority and WorkSafe over claims he provoked the animal.

Footage has now emerged which seems to show Moir launching himself onto the back of a three-metre long hammerhead in 2014.

In the video the predatory animal latches onto a baited rope close to the boat before the Mr Moir jumps onto the shark.

The dangerous stunt cost Mr Moir his job and he was sacked from Blue Juice Fishing Charters, Mail Online reports.

He was rushed to hospital for emergency treatment ( 7 News) Moir is now reportedly under investigation ( 7 News)

"I was a bit of an idiot but I've worked with sharks for a long time and I understand them and how they go," he said at the time.

"I'd definitely love to get in the water with a great white if there was someone who knew what they were doing."

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Passengers who paid £2,600 for the trip on Tuesday are said to be unhappy with how the day unfolded and are asking Montebello Island Safaris for compensation.

Paying customers claim they had to administer first aid to Mr Moir while crews manned the boat to Exmouth.

Lemon sharks gain their name because of a strange yellow colouring to their skin.

They are a protected species and are not known to be aggressive.

There were eight deaths from shark attacks in Australia last year - the highest toll since 1929.

Moir jumped onto a hammerhead in 2014

Activists scored a key victory in their battle to change public perception's of sharks, who they say are unfairly demonised.

As of earlier this month shark attacks in Australia are to be officially renamed "negative encounters".

Referring to an incident in which a shark bites a person as an attack plays into outdated notions of the creatures as mindless killers, scientists have claimed.

Researchers say the language is important to reflect that most run-ins between sharks and humans do not result in injury - and to avoid scaring people away from beaches.

The change in terminology has been confirmed despite data from the University of Florida showing that there have been 57 unprovoked shark bites in the past year. In Australia, six out of the 18 recorded were fatal.

Despite the serious nature of the incidents, the figures are relatively low considering how frequently people swim in the sea.

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