A surfer has described the moment he fought off a shark that charged at him in the water.

Dale Kittow had paddled over a wave at Cheynes Beach yesterday, about 68 kilometres east of Albany, when he saw the three-metre bronze whaler 10 metres away.

The apex predator started to circle the 37-year-old about 150 metres offshore before it charged at him.

“I jumped off the back of my board and put it in between me and the shark,” Kittow told 9News.

Kittow used his surfboard as a shield and punched back.

”The shark bit into the board, we got tangled in my leg rope, went under and got dragged for a bit. I hit it a few times,” he said.

“I’m just lucky, mate. I was pretty rattled at the time but all good now.”

Experts have suggested the shark may have been investigating a nearby school of fish and considered Kittow to be a rival in the water.

“I think that Dale reacted really well in this situation,” University of Western Australia shark researcher Dr Oliver Jewell said.

“He kept his arms and legs on his board, and he kind of pushed the shark away as it came close. That’s usually enough to deter a shark.”