A fisherman has died after being attacked by a great white shark off the coast of Western Australia.
The 38-year-old man was bitten shortly before 10am local time on Saturday near Horseshoe Reef, off Rottnest Island, close to the city of Perth.
The man had been spearfishing with friends when the predator attacked, police said. The reef is a popular spot for diving and fishing, and is mostly known for the submerged wreck of the Mira Flores, a triple-masted 19th-century sailing ship.
Sgt Michael Wear said the victim had been on the surface of the water and about 20m away from his boat when he was bitten on his lower legs.
“The friends of the victim retrieved his body from the water. They gave him CPR on the way back in and came straight into Geordie Bay jetty,” Sgt Wear said.
Aerial footage showed paramedics and police officers performing CPR on the victim after he was brought ashore, broadcaster ABC reported. But the victim, who has not yet been identified, was pronounced dead shortly afterwards.
Sgt Wear said the man had been visiting Rottnest Island for the day with three friends from Perth’s northern suburbs.
Jarrad Young, a bystander, told the broadcaster: “It is a sad day. No one wants to see that on the island.
“Everyone just wants to come and enjoy the beaches and the ocean. It was really confronting. Everyone was hoping he was OK.”
Western Australia’s department of primary industries and regional development said the victim had been attacked by a great white shark measuring about 4m (13ft) in length.
Officials urged people to take “additional caution” in waters around the area following the incident.
It was the first fatal shark attack recorded in Western Australia since March last year, when a surfer was killed at a remote beach in the state.
Australia has recorded nearly 1,300 shark incidents since records began in 1791, according to a national database tracking encounters between sharks and humans. More than 260 of those attacks proved fatal.
The country ranks second only to the United States for the number of shark bites, and it records the world’s highest numbers of fatal attacks.
Earlier this year, a 12-year-old boy died after being attacked by a suspected bull shark in Sydney Harbour. The incident was one of four shark attacks reported in the space of two days, prompting authorities to close dozens of beaches across the city.
Shark attacks have been on the increase in Western Australia in recent years, but there is disagreement over whether the rise is connected to more people being in the water, changes in shark swimming patterns, or whether environmental protection is leading to a rise in the numbers of the deadly predator.
