A 38-year-old man has been killed by a 13-foot great white shark off the coast of Rottnest Island near Perth, in the first fatal shark attack in Western Australia since March 2025.
The attack took place at around 9.55am local time on Saturday morning at Horseshoe Reef, a popular dive and snorkel spot situated north-west of the island. Surf Life WA reported that a large shark had been spotted approximately 87 yards offshore around the time the man entered the water. What followed was described by witnesses as a frantic and desperate scene.
Aerial footage captured the moment the man was rushed to shore by boat, limp and unresponsive. Paramedics and police officers met the vessel at Geordie Bay Jetty and immediately began performing CPR in a last-ditch attempt to save his life. Despite their efforts, the man could not be saved.
Western Australia Police confirmed the incident in a formal statement, saying the man had been in the water at Horseshoe Reef when he was believed to have been bitten by a shark. The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development subsequently confirmed the animal responsible was a great white shark, and urged the public to exercise additional caution in the surrounding waters. Beach closures across the Rottnest Island area were immediately put in place, with authorities warning swimmers and divers to stay out of the water until further notice. A report is now being prepared for the coroner.
The tragedy is the latest in a series of shark attacks that have put Australian coastal communities on high alert in recent months. Earlier this year, four separate shark attacks were reported along the New South Wales coast within the space of just two days, a cluster of incidents that caused widespread alarm across the country. Among those victims was 12-year-old Nico Antic, who jumped from a rock into Sydney Harbour and was attacked by a suspected bull shark. He died a week later. His parents said in a joint statement that they were heartbroken.
Australia consistently records one of the highest rates of shark attacks anywhere in the world. Since records began in 1791, there have been almost 1,300 documented attacks in the country, with more than 260 of those proving fatal. Great white sharks are responsible for the majority of deadly incidents and are known to patrol the waters off the Western Australia coast throughout the year.
Rottnest Island itself is one of Western Australia's most beloved and visited destinations, drawing more than 800,000 tourists each year. The island is famous for its quokkas, the small smiling marsupials that have become a global social media sensation, and is equally well known for its crystal clear waters, which attract snorkellers, divers and swimmers from around the world. Saturday's attack will inevitably cast a shadow over the destination as authorities work to understand what drew the animal so close to shore and whether further precautions need to be put in place.
