A diver has been fatally injured after being attacked by a shark near the Chatham Islands.

Commercial diver Jade Dixon was named as the victim in a social media post on Tuesday.

His grandmother, Sandy, described him as “tough as old boots”, RNZ reported.

Police confirmed this afternoon that a man was attacked.

“Emergency services were called at around midday following reports that a man who had sunk from a boat had been seriously injured,” police said.